Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
Investigators on the torture of Longue Longue, are also looking at a number of issues linked to the incident
Longue Longue designates human rights lawyer, Barrister Alice Nkom, as his lead counsel
After the popular Cameroonian musician, Longkana Agno Simon alias Longue Longue, on October 23, 2024 posted on social media the video of the savage torture he faced in Douala in 2019, in the hands of some elements of Littoral Military Security Branch commonly known as SEMIL, there was shock, anger and strong condemnation by many Cameroonians across the country.
As regard investigation on the torture of the musician, Longue Longue, it would be recalled that Cameroon’s Ministry of Defence issued a press release on October 24, 2024 sighed by the Head of Communication Division, Navy Captain Atonfack Guemo Cyrille Serge, in which it was disclosed that the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, had ordered specialized services to open investigation on the issue.
What The Teams Of Investigators Are Looking At
The Mentor News has learnt that the investigation is already well underway. The first thing for the investigators is to Identify all the persons at SEMIL, as well as those connected to SEMI, that were involved in one way or the other in the arrest and torture of Longue Longue. But The Mentor has also leant that the investigators are as well looking at a number of other issues related to the incident.
The ongoing investigation also include among others things, trying to find answers to a number of important questions related to the incident, and these include among others: 1) Why was Longue Longue arrested and tortured? 2) Who at SEMIL kept the video on the torture of Longue Longue, or better still, where was the video kept? 3) Who at SEMIL leaked the video on the torture of Longue Longue, to whom was the video leaked, and why? 4) Why did Longue Longue and those who gave him the video, decide to post the video at this time. To be precise, was there any particular reason that made them to post the video on the social media on October 23, 2024? 5) Is it true that there was an attempt to use the video of the torture of Longue Longue, to blackmail the Government and make money out of the terrible incident? Or better still, was a member of Government contacted with a secret proposal that 150 million FCFA should be paid, for the video not be put out?
Not Just One Team Is Carrying Out The Investigation
As was indicated in the October 24 press release of the Ministry of Defence, the investigation is being carried out by specialized services, which means that there are a number of teams of investigators handling different aspects of the investigation, according to their competence. So it is not one team of investigators involved in the matter. It should also be noted that not all findings made by the investigators, will be made public. And that is normal. For example, at the end of the investigation, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, or better still the Ministry of Defence, will as promised make public the names of those indicted for the torture of Longue Longue. The reason as to why Longue Longue was tortured will also likely be made public.
But the findings on the question as to who at SEMIL leaked the video, and why, will very likely be handled in –house by the Ministry of Defence. Even if the Ministry of Defence especially under Joseph Beti Assomo, is very much against torture, the leakage of the video, most probably by somebody or by some persons at SEMIL, is a serious breach in a security service. And so any person or persons at SEMIL that will be identified by the investigators to have leaked the video, will definitely face the in –house Disciplinary Committee, and severely sanctioned.
Longue Longue disclosed in an interview with TV 5 Afrique in Paris, that he was hinted about the video on his torture by a Cameroonian living in the United States, whose name he simply gave as William Jordan. He said William Jordan informed him that the video was in the possession of another Cameroonian in the United States, Patrice Nouma, and that Nouma accepted to give him the video after a long plea.
Prominent Civil Society Activist Wants Focus To Be Only On Torture
Meanwhile, without any surprise, what many persons in the civil society and the Cameroon opposition, only want to see in connection to the torture of Longue Longue, is that all those who were involved in the horrible act one way or the other, should be identified, severely sanctioned, and the victim (Longue Longue) compensated financially by the State of Cameroon or Government. A prominent leader of the civil society based in Yaounde, Dr Hilaire Kamga, re-stated this position in a news item on Equinoxe TV in the evening of Tuesday, October 29, 2024. To him, what is important in the whole thing is for investigators to identify all those that were involved in the torture of Longue Longue, and severely sanction them.
The civil society leader, Dr Kamga, also faulted the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, which to him was the institution that was supposed to investigate the matter. He regretted that the Commission instead wrote to the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, to demand that the Defence Ministry should carry out the investigation.
Cameroon Human Rights Commission Presses For Rapid Investigation And Sanction
Talking about the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, it is mounting pressure on the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo. The Commission is pressing that the Defence Minister should try to ensure that the result of the investigation on the torture of the Cameroonian artist, Longkana Agno Simon aka Longue Longue, is out, and that those identified as the torturers are sanctioned, and the victim compensated, before November 13, 2024.
In the correspondence which the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mounague Kobila addressed to the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, the Commission talked about the timing as regard the posting of the video on the torture of the Cameroonian artist, on the social media last week. The Commission held that it was not for nothing that the video of the incident which took place five years ago, was posted on the social media mid last week.
Prof Mouangue Kobila in the correspondence pointed out that the 81st session of the International Committee for the Fight Against Torture, holds from October 28 – November 22, 2024, during which a number of countries including Cameroon, will appear before the Committee to present their reports and also take questions. He disclosed that Cameroon will appear before the Committee on November 13 and 14, 2024, and stressed that Cameroon will have to show for example, that all cases of torture registered in the military and State security units, do not go unpunished.
Rights Commission Says Decision To Put Out Video Last Week, Was Well Planned
The President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, said that the Commission was of the conviction that, those he called “instigators”, whom he said were behind the idea that the video on the torture of Longue Longue that happened five years ago, should be posted on the social media last week, knew about the holding of the 81st session of the International Committee for the Fight Against Torture, and also that Cameroon will appear before the Committee. He said the “instigators” decided that the video be put out last week, in order to draw the attention of the International Committee for the Fight Against Torture, just days before the 81st session opened.
Prof Mouangue Kobila thus urged that the Defence Ministry should strive to ensure that the investigation on the torture of Longue Longue is thus rapidly carried out, that those indicted are sanctioned, and that the victim be compensated, before Cameroon appears before the International Committee for the Fight Against Torture on November 13 and 14 2024.
It should however be noted that there was no indication in the October 24 communiqué of the Ministry of Defence, that the Minister Delegate set a time limit for the investigation on the torture of Longue Longue. So there is doubt as to whether the request made by Cameroon Human Rights Commission, would be met by the Ministry of Defence.
Longue Longue Designate Barrister Alice Nkom
Meanwhile Longkana Agno Simon aka Longue Longue, has in a video message posted on the social media, designated Barrister Alice Nkom, as his lead legal counsel or lawyer, in the matter concerning the arrest and torture he suffered in 2019. Longue Longue said Barrister Alice Nkom will constitute a team of lawyers to defend his rights in the matter. Senior Barrister, Alice Nkom, has not yet reacted to the information put out on social media by Longue Longue. In another video posted on social media, Longue Longue was scandalized, that he contacted a lawyer in France, and the lawyer asked him to make an advance payment of 30,000 euros, before he could take up his matter.
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