Court Poised To Watch Video Evidence On Homosexuality
By Kini Nsom and Chantal-Fleur Skaehr (Jounalism student on internship)
The
The two publishers of Yaounde based tabloids; Amougou Belinga and Biloa Ayissi installed video equipment in court last February 21 ready to prove that the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Relations with the National Assembly, Mr. Gregoire Owona and two other plaintiffs actually practice homosexuality as they claimed in their publications.
Excitement seized the huge crowd of onlookers that stormed the court when they saw the video equipment. Many were curious to see what the videotape would unleash, but the court slipped away from the substantive matter when the defence counsels raised preliminary objections on matters of procedure.
According to the defence lawyers led by Barristers Joseph Bayiha and Paul Ndoumou, the defendants, Amougou Belinga and Biloa Ayissi had earlier dragged Mr. Gregoire Owona to court for practicing homosexuality, which is an offence contrary to section 347 of the Cameroonian penal code.
They prayed the court to try Mr .Gregoire Owona before hearing the case of defamation against them. But the lawyers for the plaintiff led by Barrister Guy Noah argued that Mr. Gregoire Owona was the first person to file his case against the defendants. The State Counsel, justice Awana Elele corroborated the argument.
After listening to both sides, Justice Alexandre Anaba Mbo rejected the demand of the defence and ruled that the court would continue with substantive matter the next day. But the next day on February 22, the defence emerged with an entirely new argument on procedure.
According to Barrister Paul Ndoumou, the plaintiffs did state their charges well and therefore failed to say how the newspaper articles defamed them within the ambit of the 1990 laws on mass communication. The lawyers argued that the plaintiffs summoned the defendants on a two-count charge, defamation and abuse but did not state clearly what in the publications amounted to the charges.
The judge adjourned the matter to February 28 after listening to both parties. The case is part of the homosexuality saga currently rocking the country. On January 23, two French language tabloids, Anecdote and Nouvelle Afrique published a list of some prominent personalities allegedly practicing homosexuality. Mr. Gregoire Owona whose name appeared on the list was the first person to shoot the litigation salvo against the two newspapers.
The case promises to be quite stormy as the defendants claim to have iron-cast evidence to prove their claims. For two days the court session held under a very tense atmosphere as curious onlookers, including anti-gay demonstrators stormed the court premises heaping all kinds of abuses on homosexuals.
We need to see the video and also see the minister in cation. This is a shame for the government that such people still continue to be ministers. What have we fellow Cameroonians become? I still like to see the names of the rest of those "celebrety ministers" on the lists. Good job guys.
Posted by: Bon | Monday, 27 February 2006 at 02:38 PM
Bon,
I understand the way you fill and the anger that is within you. But I don't think you will want the court to see those picturesand videos, because from what I guess, they can be very nasty. It will be good for imagination not to be seen. Believe me or not those guy guys do really nasty stuff. A video of that nature could be very damaging to the entire family of the defendant even to his unborn relatives.
Posted by: Bero | Monday, 27 February 2006 at 03:50 PM
Bero, you got it all wrong.the tape will be enough to scare others away and such practices will stop.come on!I wanna watch it too
Posted by: cornel | Tuesday, 28 February 2006 at 12:24 AM
I am afraid that people will see the videos and learn how to do these practices at home. The court will become a class for everyone to know what is possible for two men to do in bed.
Posted by: Amadou | Tuesday, 28 February 2006 at 02:01 PM
it was nothing but a bluff. Yesterday in court, the journalists did no show a film of the minister in action, but instead played an audio tape of an anonymous caller promising to send the "evidence" that minister Owona was gay. Asked if that evidence was ever provided, the journalist said no. Asked why he then went ahead to pubish unverified information, the journalist claimed his paper was pressed for time since it had to meet its deadline!!!
Talk about gutter journalism!!
Check out http://www.quotidienmutations.net/ for details
Posted by: Ambe Johnson | Tuesday, 28 February 2006 at 05:40 PM
Fellow Cameroonians, Homosexuality is a demonic and inhuman practice so in other that we wipe it out of the globe we need to start from Cameroon as there is a saying that goes does " Charity Begins at Home" So to wipe this act begining from Cameroon why not show the video tape in court so as to make the uncaptured homosexuals that they are many eyes looking at them in this case the uncaptured once will be scare and will resign from this act since they might not want to bring disgrace to their family. We should wipe this act as soon as possible for we are not Sodom and Gomorrah...Brethens remember homosexuality is the act that prompt God to wipe out SODOM AND GOMORRAH..so let's stop it.
Posted by: Ndazioh Valerio | Thursday, 02 March 2006 at 03:24 AM