Cameroon
Rebecca Enonchong, a Cameroonian tech entrepreneur who was arrested and detained Tuesday August 10 to face a court in Douala, in Cameroon's Littoral Region, is still under detention.
Rebecca, accused of "contempt" and arrested according to a "verbal instruction" by the region's attorney general, has spent her third night at the Douala Gendarmerie Legion and nothing seems to show that she will be released any sooner.
According to Edith Kah Wallah, Political and Human Rights Activist, Enonchong was referred to the Bonanjo Court of First Instance on Wednesday and was remanded in custody due to a delay in paperwork.
"There is no written complaint, it is the Attorney General himself who says he is outraged, it is he who calls verbally and asks the Gendarmerie Legion to arrest Mrs. Enonchong. So the Attorney General is the complainant, he is the one who initiates the arrest, and he is the one who will determine the judgment, and it is an extraordinary thing in Cameroon today that we have come to this point."
Surprisingly, the accused did not receive any complaint or summons, but was arrested under verbal orders from the prosecutor, according to her lawyers.
The latter denounce intimidation, abuse of power and harassment of the woman who is known for her candid statements and her criticism of the government, especially with regard to the Anglophone crisis.
Since the beginning of this case earlier this week, Rebecca Enonchong, who is among the 50 most influential women in Africa according to a Forbes ranking, has received the support of many diplomatic missions but also of the tech ecosystem around the world.
A campaign and a petition have been launched on Twitter calling for her release.
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