The Cameroon Bar Council, led by Barrister Mbah Eric Mbah, has rejected the findings of the Gendarmes’ investigation into the torture of human rights lawyer, Barrister Richard Tamfu. In a strongly worded letter to the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in Charge of Defense, Barrister Mbah argued that the Gendarmes’ role as both complainant and investigator undermines the integrity of the investigation.
The incident in question occurred on November 27, 2024, when gendarme officers from the Bonanjo Groupement brutally assaulted Barrister Tamfu while he was mediating a financial dispute between his client and a third party. Footage of the incident shows Tamfu being violently thrown into the trunk of a gendarmerie vehicle, prompting widespread condemnation from human rights groups and the legal community.
Barrister Mbah’s rejection of the Gendarmes’ findings follows a report dated December 6, which accused Tamfu of various offenses, including violence against a civil servant and destruction of military property. However, Mbah highlighted that the viral video of the incident points to serious offenses, including assault and torture, which were not adequately addressed.
The Cameroon Bar Council is demanding an impartial investigation into the incident, to be conducted by a joint team of police and gendarmes. This is not an isolated incident, as many lawyers have faced similar violence from military personnel in Cameroon. Past incidents include the assault on Barrister Walter Atoh Tchemeni in 2023 and Nicodemus Amungwa Tanyi in May 2021. At the beginning of the Anglophone crisis, several lawyers were also brutalised by law enforcement officers.
