BUEA, Cameroon– Human Rights Watch, HRW, and lawyers of one of the detained Ambazonia leaders have condemned the shabby treatment of Shufai Barrister Blaise Berinyuy by officials of the Yaounde Military Hospital.
In a statement, titled “Ailing Cameroon Separatist Leader Deserves Proper Medical Care”, Human Rights Watch, noted that Shufai Barrister Blaise Sevidzem Berinyuy, following pressure from the Head of the Security Prison in Yaounde was discharged from his sick bed at the Yaounde Military Hospital. This, the lawyers of the Separatist leaders said, happened when the results of the medical diagnoses of Barrister Berinyuy were still to be unsealed.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch stated that “Transferring Shufai, who is immunocompromised, to a crowded prison setting where transmission of COVID-19 is more likely, seriously enhances the treats to his health and life”.
As earlier reported, Shufai Barrister Blaise had fallen sick while in detention, and was admitted at the Prison Infirmary, where he spent 10 days and was later rushed to the Yaounde Military Hospital, in critical condition, because he was not responding to treatment.
On May 19, lawyers of Barrister Berinyuy complained that on the instructions of the Prison Administrator, Shufai, who could barely move, had his two hands chained to his bed, while he was on treatment.
In a statement following his forceful discharged from hospital, his lawyers stated that, “Shufai Esq, was discharged from the Yaounde Military Hospital on May 21, 2020 at 8:23pm. The Superintendent of Prison, Isidore Angoule had mounted pressure throughout the day for him to be discharged when the clinical test results from the laboratories were still in sealed envelopes, pending analysis by the hospital officials.
“He left the hospital very frail, tired and depressed, accompanied by heavily armed escort of 10 mixed military and prison guards under the heavy rains of last evening (May 21)” The lawyers stated.
Barrister Amungwa Tanyi, one of the lawyers of the Separatist leaders had stated that after forcefully subduing and chaining Barrister Berinyuy while on his sick bed, he complained of chest pains “As a result of the tussle he had with the prison guards who exerted all their weights on his chest, before chaining him to his sick bed on the night of May 19.”
The lawyers furthered that the disgruntled Shufai Blaise scolded the Prison Superintendent, who visited the hospital and was ‘apologetic’. The lawyers said Shufai blamed the Superintendent, whom he said gave the order for him to be chained to his sick bed, even in critical condition.
The lawyers also complained that the guards threw out the family members of the sick Shufai Blaise, who were taking care of him, and that the Prison Superintendent had ordered that not even his lawyers should be allowed to see him.
