Enoh Meyomesse’s lawyers launched a series of appeals. A hearing was held on October 16, 2014 at the military court. The trial was about to start when the military assessor objected, declaring that one of the codefendants, Song Konga Dieudonné, was not dressed in his military uniform and, therefore, the trial could not go on. Meyomesse’s trial was pushed back to November 20, 2014. On November 12, 2014, an article written by Meyomesse appeared in the Cameroonian newspaper, Le Jour, criticizing the government of Cameroon for being one of the only governments in the world to still hold trials exclusively in military court. On December 27, 2012, having already spent 13 months in prison, Meyomesse was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and fined 200,000 CFA (approx. US$418) for supposed complicity in the theft and illegal sale of gold. In April 2013, Meyomesse’s lawyers succeeded in having his case referred to a civil court for appeal. His case was mired by procedural irregularities and delays. Meyomesse was finally released from wrongful imprisonment on April 27, 2015. Meyomesse has now lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court seeking his complete acquittal. He is said to have aged considerably in prison and he is in need of medical assistance.
Case History
Enoh Meyomesse, is a writer, blogger, historian, and political activist who has published more than 15 books of poetry, prose, essays, and works on political and cultural themes and is a founding member and president of the Cameroon Writers Association. His first book was a collection of poems. In 2010, he published Le massacre de Messa en 1955 (The Massacre of Messa in 1955) and the tract Discours sur le tribalisme (A Discussion on Tribalism), in which he discusses the destructive effects of tribalism in Africa politics.
According to a recent letter to President Biya written by Meyomesse, his appeal hearing has been postponed 21 times since his case was first referred to a civil court for appeal in April 2013, most recently on February 19, 2014. In April 2013, PEN International wrote to the administrator of Kongengui Prison, where he is currently being held, to express concern at reports that Meyomesse was being prevented from writing in prison in April 2013.
Cameroon has a poor record on human rights in general and on freedom of expression in particular. Opposition parties and numerous Western governments have alleged voting irregularities and widespread fraud in each of the four presidential elections since President Biya reluctantly introduced multi-party politics in the early 1990s.
Meyomesse is a recipient of the 2012 Oxfam Novib/PEN Award in recognition of his continued work in the face of persecution.
Writing by Enoh Meyomesse
My Time in Kondengui Prison
Translations of his poety in E-book form