Five activists from the party of Cameroonian opponent Maurice Kamto, sentenced in 2020 in particular for "
insurrection
", were released from prison, an official of this political formation and their lawyer told AFP on Thursday March 31.
Read alsoIn Cameroon, the main opponent of Paul Biya is in detention
These activists were arrested on September 22, 2020 when their party, the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC) and several others were planning "
peaceful marches
" against the regime of President Paul Biya, 89, in unchallenged power for 39 years.
The police very violently dispersed hundreds of demonstrators, particularly in Douala, the economic capital, in the south of the country.
More than 500 demonstrators had been arrested in several cities across the country.
One to seven years in prison
The five activists "
were released on Tuesday evening
" in Douala after having spent "
18 months in prison for insurrection, illegal demonstrations and crowds
", MRC lawyer Gabriel Kontchou told AFP.
“
They had come to the end of their sentences
,” said Joseph-Emmanuel Ateba, communications officer at the MRC.
In December, 47 MRC activists, including its spokesperson and its treasurer, also arrested in September 2020, were sentenced to terms ranging from one to seven years in prison, in particular for "
rebellion
".
Maurice Kamto, unfortunate rival of the head of state re-elected in 2018 in a ballot contested by the opposition, presents himself as "
the elected president
" and was imprisoned without trial for nine months in 2019 before being released at the resulting from intense international pressure.
The authorities have assured on several occasions that those arrested on September 22, 2020 are prosecuted in particular for “
attempted insurrection
” or “
revolution
”.
Some have already been convicted on these charges.
Two months after their arrest,
