Two transgender woman who reside in Cameroon have been sentenced to five years because they have trespassed the laws of homosexuality.
In Cameroon, it is illegal to be homosexual, hence their charges.
Shakiro, an LGBT icon on social media platforms such as Facebook and Youtube, has been banned for talking about the struggles and harsh reality she faces while living in Cameroon. Shakiro and her friend, Patricia, have been in detention since their arrest in a restaurant.
She and her friend face five years in jail, and this is not the only incident where someone has been jailed for displaying homosexual actions. Cameroon is a country where it criminalizes gay sex, and there are cases such as daughters being denied entry because their parents are gay, and 30 other countries in Africa that ban being homosexual.
Alice Nkom, one of Shakiro’s lawyers who is the head of the Association for the Defense of Rights of Homosexuals, tells the public that “It’s a hammer blow. It’s the maximum term outlined in the law. The message is clear: homosexuals don’t have a place in Cameroon.”
The two girls have been fined 200,000 CFA francs, which is a total of $370 each person. If they do not have the money to pay the penalties, they will face another 12 months in prison that is stacked upon their maximum conviction of five years.
Back in 2016, Cameroon had already set its foot down on strengthening its anti-homosexuality laws, outlawing same-sex sexual relations. People who identify in the LGBTQ+ community can be beaten up in public.
Shakiro, also identified as Loïc Njeukam, has been vocal against the persecution. This is what helped build her platform on Facebook and Youtube, promoting cosmetics as well as talking about her sexuality openly.
The case has been identified as a high-profile case, and critics say that the government might be on the verge to prosecute them as a “political decision.
” If they do end up in jail for the given amount of time, it is said that trans women struggle in prison, and Patricia, Shakiro’s friend, states that she is threatened, being scared for her life.
People have attempted suicide and there have been brutal murders to those in the community, human rights organizations believe that Cameroon’s laws have been abused.