An American university professor who has been detained in Cameroon since Thursday has now been charged with insulting the country's dictator. Family and friends are calling for public support in a campaign for his release.
Patrice Nganang, a professor at New York's Stony Brook University, is due to go before a prosecutor in the coming week, according to an account from his wife that was sent to fellow Stony Brook professor Robert Harvey.Nganang was detained on Thursday as he was trying to leave Cameroon to join his wife in Zimbabwe.
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| American University Professor Faces Charges Of Insulting Cameroon's Dictator After Being Detained In The Country |
He and his attorney were informed of the accusations made against him at a hearing with judiciary police and were told the charges include allegation of insulting Cameroon president Paul Biya as well as issuing a death threat.
Nganang has been critical of how Biya has handled a secessionist movement in some English-speaking areas.
He wrote an article that was published shortly before he was detained.
At the judiciary police hearing on Saturday, Nganang's lawyer said he didn't represent a threat because he had never worked with any violent or armed groups and had always been a peaceful activist.
A prosecutor will decide what happens with the case moving forward.
President Biya is the longest-ruling dictator in Africa and now - following the resignation of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe - also the oldest ruler in sub-Saharan Africa.
He has ruled Cameroon since 1982 and plans to stand for another term next year. He was also the country's prime minister from 1975.
Biya's 35-year rule has grown increasingly intolerant of dissent, with opposition activists, journalists and intellectuals routinely arrested and sometimes charged.
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| President Biya is the longest-ruling dictator in Africa and now - following the resignation of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe - also the oldest ruler in sub-Saharan Africa. Pictured: Biya at the UN in September |
The verdict attracted international criticism.
He has criticized what he calls secessionists among the country's English-speaking minority, who have complained of discrimination.
Supporters of detained professor Nganang called for an outpouring of support, suggesting actions including calling the Cameroon embassy to demand his release.
They also recommended getting in touch with the US Department of State and federal elected officials, reaching out to advocates like Amnesty International or the Committee to Protect Journalists and spreading the campaign through social media.
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