Joseph* – Cameroon

I worked as a lawyer in Cameroon, and became involved in political causes at a young age. When I was only a teenager, several friends of mine introduced me to the youth chapter of a peaceful political organization seeking greater autonomy for Cameroon’s English-speaking population. I believe deeply in an independent Anglophone Cameroon, and was eager to fight for the rights of Anglophone-Cameroons who have suffered systematic discrimination at the hands of those who are in power in Cameroon.

Several years after joining this political party, I established and subsequently led a youth branch of the party in my own hometown. I first encountered difficulties as a result of my political activities in 2000, when I was having lunch with a friend at a small café. Two uniformed military police officers approached our table and handcuffed us, taking us to a police station where we were put in a filthy cell swarming with mosquitoes. My friend and I were detained for three days and told that the reason for our detention was because we were suspected of taking part in a political demonstration. During this detention, we were badly beaten and kept in inhuman and unsanitary conditions.

One year later, I was arrested while participating in a political demonstration that was violently disrupted by the military. This time I was detained for two and a half months, during which time I was again badly beaten. I later learned that during my imprisonment, the police authorities had visited my parents’ home and asked them questions about me, harassing them. I spent two weeks in the hospital in order to recover from this ordeal, and decided to discontinue my political activities for a while.

In early 2003, however, I received a letter from a leader of my political party asking me to attend an organizational meeting to prepare for a protest march. I was nervous, but decided to attend the meeting. Less than an hour after the meeting began, military police arrived and disrupted the meeting, arresting many of our members, including myself. I was detained yet again, in horrible conditions, this time beaten by police officers and my fellow cellmates alike.

Several days after my release, I received a phone call from my uncle, who was then employed as an official within the police force. My uncle warned me that I had been identified by Cameroon’s national security authorities as an opposition leader responsible for mobilizing Cameroon’s youth against the government, and that I was certain to be targeted for arrest and worse. Afraid for my life, I contacted a friend and former professor in the United States who helped me to arrange documents to flee to the United States.

Afraid to return to Cameroon, I sought legal assistance through the Asylum Program at Human Rights First and my case was placed with two pro bono lawyers at the law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. With the assistance of my lawyers, I applied for asylum affirmatively and was granted asylum at the Asylum Office.

Since I was granted asylum, I have continued to be in close touch with my attorneys and Human Rights First, and along with my attorneys spoke at a Human Rights First event for young lawyers considering taking on asylum cases. I plan to continue my legal career in the United States, and in the fall of 2004 will begin a program to receive my graduate paralegal certificate. I intend to begin law school in the following year in order to be able to practice as a lawyer as a part of my new life in the United States.

*For confidentiality reasons, this client’s real name is not being used.

Read about the Human Rights First Asylum Legal Representation Program

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