5 Months in Prison "Hell" for Transgender Cameroonians

Two transgender women in Cameroon, released on Friday, have told of the hellish experience they faced after being arrested and convicted of wearing women's clothes and "attempted homosexuality".

Sentenced for 5 years, they have been released after 5 whilst an appeal court is convened to hear their case. If they lose, they will return to jail to serve the remainder of their sentences. In the first few weeks, they were forced to sleep with chains around their ankles.

"Prison is hell. It's hellfire. Especially when they accuse you of homosexuality," said Shakiro, a celebrity in Cameroon with thousands of social media followers, during an interview at her family's house. "They put chains on our legs, something that is not normal," she said. "That day we slept with those chains and we paid money for them to remove the chains."

Human rights activists have raised the alarm that this signals the beginning of a rising trend in attacks on the LGBTQ+ community in Cameroon. Whilst the Justice Ministry has refused to comment, the pair's cases will be heard in September.

"This day is the most beautiful day of my life because I did not believe that these children would make it out of prison with their health intact," Shakiro's mother, Josephine Njeukam, said.

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