Alice Nkom, a veteran Cameroonian lawyer, was determined to defend gay rights despite being publicly criticized, threatened and humiliated. In her country.
Her human rights NGO, Redhac, was recently suspended by the government and she is due to appear before investigators on charges of money laundering and financing terrorist groups, which she denies.
The 80-year-old said she believes authorities are interfering with her work and that she is being targeted because of her legal advocacy for the LGBT community.
“I will always defend homosexuals because every day they risk their freedom and are locked up like dogs,” she told the BBC from her office in the city of Douala.
“My job is to defend people. There is no reason to say I defend everyone except gay people.”
Dressed in a black gown, Ms Nkom delivers her stark message in a calm voice that reflects years of thoughtful legal arguments.
According to the country’s criminal code, both men and women found guilty of homosexuality can be sentenced to up to five years in prison and must pay a fine. Members of the LGBT community also face ostracism from their families and society.
As a result, Ms Nkom was seen as a surrogate parent in some countries where she was open about her sexual orientation with her family.
The legal expert has children of her own, but hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others look up to her as their guardian, following her more than two decades of work defending people accused of homosexuality.
“She is like our father and mother. She is the mother we turn to when our families abandon us,” says LGBT activist Sébastien (not his real name).
Mr. Nkom, who adheres to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is incorporated into Cameroon’s Constitution, argues that freedom from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation should be considered a fundamental right, replacing criminal law.
“Fundamental rights should not be taken away, they should not be oppressed, they should be protected,” she says.
This is a struggle that has put Mr Nkom in trouble.
She said she had received physical threats on the streets several times and revealed that she hired a bodyguard to protect herself when she first entered the legal field.
But her journey to become one of Cameroon’s most outspoken lawyers began much earlier.
In 1969, at age 24, she became the country’s first black female lawyer after studying in former colonies France and Cameroon.
She said she was encouraged to continue her studies by her then-boyfriend, who later became her husband.
Her early legal work involved representing the less wealthy and marginalized, but it was a chance meeting in 2003 that led her to join the fight to decriminalize homosexuality.
At the prosecutor’s office in Douala, she saw a group of young people handcuffed two by two and not having the courage to look up.
“When I checked the court records, I realized they were being charged with homosexuality,” she says.
‘Attempt at homosexuality’
This hurt her sense of human rights and made it very clear that sexual minorities should be included among those whose rights are protected by the Constitution.
“I am determined to fight to ensure that the fundamental right to freedom is respected,” Mr Nkom added.
She founded the Association for the Defense of Homosexuality (Adefho) in 2003.
Since then, she has been involved in dozens of cases. One of the most notable in recent years was his defense of transgender celebrities Shaqiro and his friend Patricia in 2021.
The two were arrested while eating at a restaurant and charged with ‘attempted homosexuality.’
They were sentenced to five years in prison for violating criminal law and violating public decency.
“This is a hammer blow. This is the maximum period specified in the law. The message is clear: homosexuals have no place in Cameroon,” Mr Nkom said at the time.
Shaqiro and Patricia are currently fleeing abroad after being released pending appeal.
The situation for LGBT people has not improved since then. LGBT activist Sébastien, who runs a charity to support families with gay children, feels the situation has gotten worse recently.
Last year, a song based on the popular mbolé rhythm was released with a title and lyrics encouraging the targeting and murder of homosexuals. It is still widely shared and regularly played at the trendiest venues in the country’s major cities.
“People attack us because of this song that glorifies crime,” says Sébastien.
LGBT people must hide their sexual identity, but “some people get close to us and attack us or set traps to call the police,” he says.
Ms Nkom said she thought it would help change the law when President Paul Biya’s daughter, Brenda Biya, publicly revealed last year that she was a lesbian.
Mr. Biya spends most of his time outside Cameroon. She said she hoped her openness could change things at home..
Ms Nkom senses an opportunity. “I’m using Brenda’s case as a precedent. Now we have a case to challenge the president,” she says.
The lawyer also called on Biya to do more for Cameroon’s LGBT community.
“Brenda has not yet responded to me since I made my statement to the press, but I know she will.”
But for now, I plan to continue my legal work.
She views recent attempts to limit her efforts as just another obstacle. Please stop the fight that has been going on since 2003.
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