Despite public shaming, threats and humiliation, veteran Cameroonian lawyer Alice Nkom is determined to defend the rights of homosexual people in his country.
The human rights NGO she runs, Redhac, was recently suspended by the government and is due to appear before investigators to answer allegations of money laundering and funding of terrorist groups, which she denies.
The 80-year-old says authorities are interfering with her work and believes she has been targeted because of her legal work in the LGBT community.
“I will always defend homosexuals because they risk their freedom every day and are thrown into prison like dogs,” she told the BBC firmly, speaking from her office in the city of Douala.
“My job is to protect people. I don’t understand why I say I’m defending everyone but homosexuals.’
Clad in a black dress, Ms. Nkom delivers her clear message in a moderate voice that reflects years of thoughtful legal argument.
According to the country’s criminal code, both men and women found guilty of homosexual sex can be sentenced to up to five years in prison and ordered to pay a fine. Members of the LGBT community also face ostracism from their families and society at large.
As a result, Ms. Nkom was seen as a surrogate parent to some in her country who were open about their sexuality to their families.
The legal expert has children of her own, but hundreds, if not thousands, of others look to her as their advocate after working for more than two decades to defend those accused of homosexuality.
“She is like our father and our mother. This is the mother we find when our families have abandoned us,” says one of the LGBT activists Sebastien, not giving his real name.
A supporter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is incorporated into Cameroon’s constitution, Ms. Nkom argues that freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation should be considered a fundamental right that supersedes the criminal code.
“You shouldn’t imprison basic rights, you shouldn’t suppress them – you should protect them,” she says.
It is a struggle that has led Ms. Nkom to difficulties.
