Ukraine’s ex-president says Orange revolution partner acted against national interests in signing 2009 gas deal with Russia The former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yushchenko, has testified against his Orange revolution partner, Yulia Tymoshenko, in her abuse of office trial. The scene on Wednesday underlined the disappointment many feel in Ukraine after hopes for reform raised by the massive 2004 pro-democracy demonstrations and Yushchenko’s ascent to the presidency dissolved in factional squabbling and political paralysis. Yushchenko claimed that the former prime minister was driven by political gain when she
Continue reading …Historians say Michael Gove risks turning history lessons into propaganda classes
August 17, 2011 No Comment
Academics warn against education secretary’s plan to celebrate Britain’s ‘distinguished’ role in world affairs Leading historians are to hit out against Michael Gove’s plans for history teaching, saying they risk “going down the route of propaganda”. Gove has said history in schools ought to “celebrate the distinguished role of these islands in the history of the world” and portray Britain as “a beacon of liberty for others to emulate” . But Tom Devine , professor of history at the University of Edinburgh, said: “I am root and branch opposed to Gove’s approach. It smells of whiggery; of history as chauvinism. You cannot pick out aspects of the past that may be pleasing to people.” Devine was speaking before a debate on history teaching at the Edinburgh international book festival , where he will be joined by Professor Linda Colley of Princeton University, and RW Johnson , the emeritus fellow in politics at Oxford. Devine said of the Aberdeen-raised Gove: “I find it remarkable someone educated in the Scottish system can come up with this nonsense.” Speaking about Gove’s contention earlier this year that the history syllabus “doesn’t mention a single historical figure – except William Wilberforce and Olaudah Equiano” – key figures in the British movement to abolish slavery – he accused the secretary of state of creating “straw men”. “The syllabus is not devoid of content. History teaching has never been more exciting.” Also speaking in Friday’s debate, which is organised by the London Review of Books , is South Africa-based historian RW Johnson, who warned against the follies of a celebratory, nationalist syllabus. “I live in South Africa, a society where nationalism is running riot in history teaching, and the results are disastrous,” he said. History teaching before 1994 was there, he said, to “bolster up Afrikaaner nationalism, and black South Africans were merely the objects of history”, he said. “Now, under the ANC, that has completely reversed. The years 1652-1994 are simply called ‘the oppression’ and everything about that period is lost. You wouldn’t know that South Africa fought in two world wars, sent troops to Korea and did other things other than whites oppressing blacks. “When it comes to 20th-century history, black people are portrayed as martyrs, heroes, victims and the whites as simply bastards. It is just as much a distortion as was Afrikaaner history.” He said, though, that teaching ought to be done through a frame of narrative history. “If you don’t have that you are a bit lost: we need to be able to look at the way things work out over a very long period: what the French call the longue durée .” Devine, who has advised the Scottish government on history teaching, agreed, saying that “one of the most important things about the discipline is to convey a sense of change over time, to do which you must present events chronologically.” But he warned against the “Burns-supper school of history” and insisted the history teaching needed to be “critical” rather than self-congratulatory. He also argued that though “national history should be the core”, world history must be taught in parallel “to avoid introspection and parochialism”. He acknowledged that in Scotland, there was a danger of the ruling Scottish National party “pushing Scottish history in a Braveheart direction”. Linda Colley, professor of history at Princeton, who also speaks in Friday’s debate, said she welcomed Gove’s interest in the teaching of history. “But the best way to do it,” she said, “is to make history compulsory to 16, as it is in many European countries. That gives teachers the room to teach it in a more nuanced way. If he is going to jump up and down about history teaching, this is the reform he should consider.” Devine condemned the quality of the debate over history teaching in England. “In Scotland, there would have been incandescence in the academic community and also in civil society. It has been a poverty-stricken and parsimonious debate.” Education policy History and history of art National curriculum Michael Gove Schools Charlotte Higgins guardian.co.uk
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Coalition tensions rise as former anti-terror adviser accuses ministers of trying to influence more stringent sentences The government’s former terror adviser has intervened in the row over the sentencing of people who took part in last week’s riots, accusing ministers of appearing to “steer” the courts into handing down the more stringent sentences. Lord Carlile, the barrister and former Liberal Democrat MP warned that the sacrosanct separation of powers between the government and the judiciary had appeared to have been breached by some of the messages coming out of government since the riots engulfed neighbourhoods last week. Carlile, who served for six years under Labour and the coalition until March as the government’s anti-terror adviser, told the Guardian: “I don’t think it’s helpful for ministers to appear to be giving a steer to judges. The judges in criminal courts are mostly extremely experienced and well capable of making the decisions themselves. Ministers should focus on securing the safety of the public.” Asked whether ministers had overstepped the mark, he said: “Some judges may feel that and some ministers may feel that they have had a responsibility to use the language of sentences rather than policy.” He defended the actions of judges saying it would be inevitable that sentencing would be tougher in the circumstances of the public disorder that took place last week, but he warned that there would be numerous appeals and called for the court of appeal to produce guidelines for judges and magistrates. He said that “just filling up prisons” would not contribute to maintaining the peace of England’s streets, and warned that there were too many first-time offenders who had been remanded in custody on relatively minor offences after the events who would be eligible to appeal for bail. It comes amid growing concerns over the length of prison sentences being handed down for riot-related offences after two men in Chester were jailed for four years for posting messages on Facebook inciting people to create disorder in their home towns despite the fact that the riots didn’t take place. Simon Hughes, deputy leader of the Lib Dems, said he hoped the courts would show more leniency for first-time offenders. The prime minister David Cameron praised the work of the courts, after he was asked during a visit in Warrington about the Facebook case. “What happened on our streets was absolutely appalling behaviour and to send a very clear message that it’s wrong and won’t be tolerated is what the criminal justice system should be doing,” he said. “They decided in that court to send a tough sentence, send a tough message and I think it’s very good that courts are able to do that.” But dissatisfaction about the hardline reaction on the Tory benches among their Liberal Democrat coalition colleagues is intensifying with key figures urging caution. The former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: “With all due deference to the prime minister, politicians should not be either cheering nor booing in the matter of sentencing. It is an important part of our constitutional principles that political influence is not directed at the judicial system.” Hughes told Sky News: “The courts are independent, thank god entirely independent. They will reflect community feeling as well as tariffs and sentencing. Each judge will look at each case individually, if they are outside reasonable sentences they will be brought down on appeal. “I think the message has to go that look, if you were involved last week you can expect to be punished toughly and firmly. If you are not a first offender you can seriously expect the courts to come down on you. But I hope the courts will show understanding and relative leniency on first-time offenders and make sure that all the sentences don’t just put people inside and pull them out again but engage with the community.” Carlile’s intervention is significant as he is the most prominent figure to suggest that ministers have sought to influence the courts. Respected on all sides of the house, Carlile has worked in government alongside civil servants in the home office reviewing its counter-terror policy and although appointed by Labour the coalition extended his job after the election. He stepped down earlier this year after six years. He is also president of the Howard League for Penal Reform. He said: “I think there may be a slight problem in that judges and magistrates are working without court of appeal guidelines and I expect cases to reach the court of appeal quickly. I share the hope of many lawyers that the court of appeal will produce a set of guidelines so there can be a sufficient level of consistency, even with guidelines there will be variation because a judge is perfectly entitled to reflect local circumstances. “My suspicion is that as time passes the level of sentencing in these cases will reduce. I am actually more concerned with the number of people who are on remand in custody. There are numerous first offenders who have been remanded in custody who in other circumstances would not have been remanded in custody. I think there will be crown court appeals. A lot of people have been remanded in custody by magistrate courts for relatively minor offences such as receiving small quantities of stolen clothing. In ordinary circumstances people in that situation would not be remanded in custody – they might get a custodial sentence but they would not be remanded in custody in the first instance.” He said that deterrent sentences were to be expected for those who commit acts of violence or theft of valuable items but added: “There will be a shakedown of the less serious cases although all forms of looting and rioting are going to attract greater sentences. In due course people with no previous convictions who have received stolen clothing for example may be more likely to find themselves with non-custodial sentences.” He added: “Just filling up prisons may not be contributing in the long term to the peace and orderliness of society. They may only have themselves to blame but prison should never be the first option.” UK riots Crime Judiciary David Cameron Liberal-Conservative coalition Prisons and probation UK criminal justice Liberal Democrats Conservatives Facebook Internet Social networking Simon Hughes Sir Menzies Campbell Polly Curtis Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The Iowa Straw Poll last weekend is to election season what Labor Day is to Fall; it’s official now – the season has begun! I don’t care about the “viability” of candidates. I am not a prognosticator. Well, if I were, I’d be a very bad one. I said former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was most likely to get the nomination because his name is the easiest to make puns with (i.e. Pawlenty of Votes!) and he was the first one to drop out of the race. Plus, I’ve yet to see anyone (besides me) make ANY puns with his name. Pawlenty of wrong guesses! But I’m also not interested in “who could go all the way.” I’m interested in this moment in time. And if you look at the former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney – he’s perfect for the current Republican Party. The first reason is he has five gorgeous able-bodied adult sons who’ve never spent a day in the military. Actually, none of the as-yet announced Republican candidates have children serving in the military. We’ve been in two wars now for nearly a decade each and yet the all-volunteer force is entirely made up of Americans not spawned from GOP candidates. For the last 30 years at least, the Republicans have been relentlessly, uniformly hawkish – but mostly with other peoples’ children. This disconnect was made evident in the ’08 election when soldiers donated money to candidate Barack Obama 6-1 over Senator John McCain. The second is Romney’s hard turn (read: total flip-flop) on women’s reproductive freedoms. When Romney ran against Senator Ted Kennedy in 1994, unprompted he offered, “Many, many years ago, I had a dear, close family relative that was very close to me who passed away from an illegal abortion. It is since that time that my mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we will not force our beliefs on others on that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that.” Of course, he wavered on that. His “family relative” was Ann Keenan, who died from an infection due to her illegal abortion in 1963 when Romney was 16. Now at 64, Romney toes the party line on abortion: He’s against it. He’s now against the law that could have saved his relative’s life. But this is consistent with the Republican Party of today. The man known as “Mr. Conservative” himself – 1964’s Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater was not pro-life. His wife Margaret Goldwater helped found the first Planned Parenthood in Arizona in the 1930s. If ever there was an issue (or an area) for government to get out of – it’s a uterus. But as much as current Republicans like to bark that government is getting too intrusive – Romney and his ilk want the government to tell women what to do. Speaking of the government telling us what to do – the health care reform “individual mandate” that Republicans are so rabidly against? That was a Republican idea (first introduced in 1993) Romney implemented in his state in 2005. Now? It’s a job-killing communist plot that will destroy America! Romney and his parallel Republicans were for this job-killing communist plot that will destroy America – before they were against it. The third thing that makes Romney the ideal representation for his party is his time in the private sector. Yes, Romney calls himself (un-ironically) a job creator. And well, he did create jobs, but mainly in other countries. He cut thousands here at home. But he touts this accomplishment anyway. The GOP has become an anti-worker movement. They use the language of the common man, railing against “the elites.” But when it comes to policy – the GOP worships the privileged. They love the gilded class and don’t want them to have to pay taxes or hear a cross word about themselves. They’ve convinced non-elites that the top one percent are all-American magical job makers and that if we just make this tiny fraction of our country happy – our economy will once again flourish. There’s no evidence of this ever being the case. It’s pure fantasy. But Republicans treat lies like incantations – they just have to say something enough and it will manifest. So regardless of whoever gets in the race or drops out – Romney is the ideal symbol of his party. He is the GOP. His story is the story of the Republican Party. He’s perfect.
Continue reading …The Iowa Straw Poll last weekend is to election season what Labor Day is to Fall; it’s official now – the season has begun! I don’t care about the “viability” of candidates. I am not a prognosticator. Well, if I were, I’d be a very bad one. I said former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was most likely to get the nomination because his name is the easiest to make puns with (i.e. Pawlenty of Votes!) and he was the first one to drop out of the race. Plus, I’ve yet to see anyone (besides me) make ANY puns with his name. Pawlenty of wrong guesses! But I’m also not interested in “who could go all the way.” I’m interested in this moment in time. And if you look at the former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney – he’s perfect for the current Republican Party. The first reason is he has five gorgeous able-bodied adult sons who’ve never spent a day in the military. Actually, none of the as-yet announced Republican candidates have children serving in the military. We’ve been in two wars now for nearly a decade each and yet the all-volunteer force is entirely made up of Americans not spawned from GOP candidates. For the last 30 years at least, the Republicans have been relentlessly, uniformly hawkish – but mostly with other peoples’ children. This disconnect was made evident in the ’08 election when soldiers donated money to candidate Barack Obama 6-1 over Senator John McCain. The second is Romney’s hard turn (read: total flip-flop) on women’s reproductive freedoms. When Romney ran against Senator Ted Kennedy in 1994, unprompted he offered, “Many, many years ago, I had a dear, close family relative that was very close to me who passed away from an illegal abortion. It is since that time that my mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we will not force our beliefs on others on that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that.” Of course, he wavered on that. His “family relative” was Ann Keenan, who died from an infection due to her illegal abortion in 1963 when Romney was 16. Now at 64, Romney toes the party line on abortion: He’s against it. He’s now against the law that could have saved his relative’s life. But this is consistent with the Republican Party of today. The man known as “Mr. Conservative” himself – 1964’s Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater was not pro-life. His wife Margaret Goldwater helped found the first Planned Parenthood in Arizona in the 1930s. If ever there was an issue (or an area) for government to get out of – it’s a uterus. But as much as current Republicans like to bark that government is getting too intrusive – Romney and his ilk want the government to tell women what to do. Speaking of the government telling us what to do – the health care reform “individual mandate” that Republicans are so rabidly against? That was a Republican idea (first introduced in 1993) Romney implemented in his state in 2005. Now? It’s a job-killing communist plot that will destroy America! Romney and his parallel Republicans were for this job-killing communist plot that will destroy America – before they were against it. The third thing that makes Romney the ideal representation for his party is his time in the private sector. Yes, Romney calls himself (un-ironically) a job creator. And well, he did create jobs, but mainly in other countries. He cut thousands here at home. But he touts this accomplishment anyway. The GOP has become an anti-worker movement. They use the language of the common man, railing against “the elites.” But when it comes to policy – the GOP worships the privileged. They love the gilded class and don’t want them to have to pay taxes or hear a cross word about themselves. They’ve convinced non-elites that the top one percent are all-American magical job makers and that if we just make this tiny fraction of our country happy – our economy will once again flourish. There’s no evidence of this ever being the case. It’s pure fantasy. But Republicans treat lies like incantations – they just have to say something enough and it will manifest. So regardless of whoever gets in the race or drops out – Romney is the ideal symbol of his party. He is the GOP. His story is the story of the Republican Party. He’s perfect.
Continue reading …Al Sharpton Falsely Accuses Well-Known Isolationist Pat Buchanan of Supporting Iraq War
August 17, 2011 No Comment
With each passing day it is becoming clearer and clearer the brainiacs at MSNBC replaced one blithering idiot in their 6PM time slot with another blithering idiot. On Wednesday's “Morning Joe,” Al Sharpton actually accused well-known isolationist Pat Buchanan of having supported the Iraq war (video follows with transcript and commentary): AL SHARPTON : The George Bush mistakes were not blocked. The President's grand bargain was blocked. So I don't think you have the same thing. And I, I, I don't think that my friend Pat, who had no problem with Mr. Bush in the middle of two wars he created or going to Texas every chance he got, I think his opinion of the President's vacation, we'll give you some slack. PAT BUCHANAN: Let me correct you here: I opposed George Bush's war in Iraq. Okay? I was against… SHARPTON : Oh, you… BUCHANAN: That's right. SHARPTON : But you didn't oppose his vacations. The ignorance on display by someone with his own one-hour national television program was scary. Is there anyone in America familiar with Buchanan that doesn't know of his opposition to the Iraq war? Maybe Sharpton should read Buchanan's March 2003 article at the American Conservative wherein he excoriated Bush and “neo-cons” for seeking to “ensnare our country in a series of wars that are not in America’s interest.” Buchanan took a lot of heat for that piece from Republicans at the time, but Sharpton was obviously oblivious. Fortunately, Buchanan was there Wednesday to set the record straight. However, what's truly concerning is that on his own program with nobody there to challenge him, Sharpton can say such utter falsehoods with total impunity. Is a man so obviously unqualified someone the folks at MSNBC want representing their network? Given their support for the totally inexperienced junior senator from Illinois in 2008, it appears the answer is “Yes.”
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Unlike traditional beauty pageants, these contestants at the Rabin Ajau national folkloric festival in Coban, Guatemala, are judged on their leadership skills and their commitment to the maintenance of Mayan values
Continue reading …John Yates faces inquiry into links with former News of the World executive
August 17, 2011 No Comment
IPCC to scrutinise claims former Met police assistant commissioner secured job for daughter of former NoW executive The police watchdog said on Wednesday it was opening an independent inquiry into allegations John Yates might have secured a job for the daughter of a former News of the World executive. But the Independent Police Complaints Commission effectively cleared Yates, Sir Paul Stephenson, the former commissioner, Peter Clarke, former deputy assistant commissioner, and Andy Hayman, former assistant commissioner, of carrying out any conduct that breached police disciplinary codes over their roles in the original phone-hacking inquiry and its review by Yates in 2009. Deborah Glass, deputy chair of the IPCC, said a clear distinction had to be made between what was a “recordable conduct matter” – conduct that was either criminal or amounted to a disciplinary offence – and the public concerns over phone hacking which would be investigated during the Leveson inquiry. She said however there were “serious issues that need to be scrutinised” about the links between top police officers and the media. The only allegation referred to the IPCC by the Metropolitan Police Authority which it will investigate fully and independently, she said, was the claim Yates secured a job at Scotland Yard for the daughter of Neil Wallis. Yates said in a statement on Wednesday: “I strongly deny any wrongdoing and I am completely confident that I will be exonerated. I have been entirely open about this matter and I will cooperate fully with the investigation which I hope will be conducted swiftly.” He said he was pleased the IPCC had found that an inquiry into him was not required in relation to his involvement in the phone-hacking review. The IPCC said in the case of Yates’s role in reviewing the original hacking inquiry his alleged conduct was not a matter which it was within their remit to investigate as it did not amount to recordable conduct. Glass said there would be no further investigation by the watchdog into the allegation. Yates had been questioned about this “over many hours in six separate parliamentary sessions” and she said “it is difficult to see what further investigation would achieve”. She added that the current investigation which started in January 2011 made any further IPCC inquiry unnecessary. “We would agree that he made a poor decision in 2009. He himself has acknowledged that… he made a poor decision for which he has now taken responsibility,” she said. The same was true of the allegations against Stephenson over his alleged oversight failure of Yates during his review in 2009 of the original hacking inquiry and his alleged reluctance to take responsibilty for it. In a statement released on Wednesday, the IPCC said that Stephenson could not be said to have committed misconduct in public office “because one of his officers may have carried out a poor investigation”. In the case of Clarke, who was in charge of the original investigation into phone hacking, the IPCC said: “He has explained the parameters of the investigation, as well as the reasons why the huge volume of material seized at the time was not subject to analysis. “Had a complaint been made about the original investigation, fairness would require any investigation to consider whether his decision to set narrow parameters was reasonable and proportionate in all the circumstances as they existed at the time, which included some 70 live operations relating to terrorist plots.” Glass said Hayman was not responsible for the original phone-hacking investigation although it was in his command. She said: “Although not referred to us by the MPA, his social contacts with News International and subsequent employment by the Times have been criticised. “While there are serious issues that need to be scrutinised about the extent of contact between senior police officers and the media, and particularly around hospitality, in the absence of any actual evidence of impropriety these are, in my view, for the inquiry to explore.” Stephenson said the outcome was what he expected. “I regret resources have had to be expended on this matter,” Stephenson added. He criticised the IPCC for looking into his decision to accept hospitality – which they decided not to investigate further after their initial consideration. “The IPCC’s comments about my acceptance of assistance from a friend through my family unconnected with my professional life, of services form Champneys Medical Services which they chose to examine under their powers without any external referral does in my view fall a little short of full and proper context. However this is a matter for their judgment.” The prime minister, David Cameron, said during a visit to Cheshire on Wednesday, in relation to the phone-hacking scandal: “Clearly if I had known then all the things I know now, then obviously I would have taken different decisions.” • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook . Phone hacking Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers News of the World John Yates Police News International Josh Halliday Sandra Laville guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Rick Perry is the luckiest politician of all time. You can debate politics and policy and read through his record, but the hard cold fact is that not even the state of Texas likes him. With an election that had a strong third party candidate, and a eligible write-in, Perry became the only governor re-elected with the lowest vote count in Texas history. Perry became the only governor ever to have been elected with less than 40 percent of the state’s support. In fact, just barely over 38 percent. Which means he won his election with 62 percent of the Texas electorate voting for someone else. Governor Perry was all over South Carolina talking about his record on jobs and the economy, but it seems the luck of Texas has very little to do with his leadership. This weekend the Houston Chronicle reported the top 10 reasons that the growth in the Texas economy had nothing to do with Perry’s leadership, despite him taking credit for it. In a state with a massive oil industry and military contractors, growth with high gas prices while we’re in two wars is inevitable and it had nothing to do with what Perry was doing and everything to do with federal policies. More help for Texas businesses comes in the form of exploitation of immigrant labor being significantly cheaper, keep wages low, as well as average wages low. At the same time, Texas has avoided the housing bubble that other states experienced. While others were ballooning with home foreclosures, only six percent of Texas homeowners are in foreclosure. Some credit Texas’ stability to state regulations on cash-out and home equity loans, which don’t allow borrowers to take out loans that total more than 80 percent of a home’s appraised value. Wial said cash-out loans allowed borrows in other places to refinance their homes for more than their original mortgage value — driving up home prices and contributing to the eventual burst of the housing bubble. “One force of the foreclosure wave didn’t exist in Texas,” he said. So, Texas has benefited because of war, oil, regulation, and immigration – just to name a few. Doesn’t sound very “tea party.” Other benefits to the Texas economy includes drug trafficking , the state being a huge export state, and along with oil fracking has been hugely beneficial to energy companies looking for natural gas. He’s not a help to the Texas economy, and his policies on education are driving the state into the ground. Plus, he doesn’t even like being part of the United States. He believes in the United State of Texas. It doesn’t matter how he tries to spin it – Rick Perry is now running for a country he once said he state should withdraw from. When did Republicans become the anti-war, pro-immigration, pro-drug, anti-America Party? Did I miss a memo?
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Amnesty urges nation to honour human right treaties it has signed as it prepares to try two men for same-sex sexual acts Two men are due to stand trial in Cameroon on charges of homosexuality, prompting criticism from human rights campaigners of the country’s discriminatory laws. Amnesty International demanded the immediate release of the pair, a 19-year-old known only as Jonas and a 20-year-old known as Francky, who were arrested last month in a car outside a nightclub in the capital, Yaounde. They were charged under section 347a of the Cameroonian penal code, which criminalises same-sex sexual acts, and are being held at Yaounde’s Kondengui central prison. If convicted, they face up to five years behind bars. Homophobia is widespread in Cameroon, with gay men frequently subjected to legal prosecution. In March this year, Jean-Claude Roger Mbede was jailed for three years for homosexuality after apparently falling victim to entrapment by the security forces . Amnesty reiterated its call for a change in the law. Erwin van der Borght, its Africa programme director, said: “Given the high level of officially sanctioned homophobia in Cameroon, those arrested under this law are at risk of attack or other forms of ill-treatment, by fellow prisoners or by prison authorities, because of their alleged sexual orientation. “Cameroon should repeal this draconian law. By arresting people purely because of their alleged sexual orientation, the Cameroonian government is flagrantly violating international human rights treaties which it has signed or ratified.” Amnesty reported that Mbede was serving his sentence at Kondengui central prison, known for its overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate food supplies. He is said to be in poor physical and mental health and to have been denied medical treatment. He told visitors he had been sleeping on the ground since his imprisonment in March. He is appealing against his conviction and sentence. Amnesty said it considered Mbede to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely because of his real or perceived sexual orientation. It has called on the authorities to ensure he is not subjected to any form of ill-treatment, harassment or violence. Section 347a was drawn up nearly 40 years ago but its enforcement has been variable over time. “Detentions under the law appeared to have dropped in recent years following a peak of arrests in 2005-6,” van der Borght said. “But over the past few months, such arrests appear to be on the rise again. We urge the Cameroonian authorities to rethink this discriminatory legislation and comply with their obligations under international human rights law.” A joint report last year by four human rights organisations said homosexuals in Cameroon face arbitrary detention, scant regard for due process of law and sentencing without evidence. The report documented abuses in detention, both prior to trial and in prison, including beatings, torture and verbal abuse. Cameroon Gay rights Africa David Smith guardian.co.uk
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