July 16, 2013
Prominent Gay Rights Activist Killed in Cameroon
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A rights group says a prominent gay rights activist in Cameroon has been tortured and killed just weeks after issuing a public warning about the threat posed by "anti-gay thugs."
Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that friends discovered the body of Eric Ohena Lembembe at his home in the capital, Yaounde, on Monday evening after he was unreachable for two days.
One friend said Lembembe's neck and feet looked broken and that he had been burned with an iron.
Lembembe was executive director of CAMFAIDS, a human rights organization. In a July 1 statement, he condemned recent break-ins by "anti-gay thugs" at the offices of groups advocating for gay rights.
The precise motive for Lembembe's killing was unclear Tuesday. HRW urged officials to launch a thorough investigation.
