HRW: US, Cameroon violated rights of asylum seekers
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Human Rights Watch divulged Cameroon committed "serious human rights violations" against citizens that were deported from the US.
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A Cameroonian policeman and a gendarme securing the perimeter of a polling station in Lysoka (AFP)
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday, Cameroon perpetrated "serious human rights violations" against hundreds of residents that were deported from the US.
A majority of those involved were from the English-speaking minority in western Cameroon, where Anglophone rebels and government troops have been entangled in a murderous conflict for five years, with the UN and non-governmental organizations repeatedly accusing both sides of crimes against civilians.
After the US deported an estimated 80-90 citizens in 2020, they faced arbitrary arrest and incarceration; enforced disappearances; torture, rape, and other abuse; extortion; and unjust trials, according to a report by HRW.
According to the report, many reported "use of excessive force, medical neglect, and other mistreatment in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in the US."
"By returning Cameroonians to face persecution, torture, and other serious harm, the US violated the principle of non-refoulment, a cornerstone of international refugee and human rights law."
The deportations occurred during former US President Donald Trump's administration, which was characterized by extreme immigration policies, reduced access to refuge, and racist, anti-migrant rhetoric, according to the study.
US President Joe Biden's administration canceled deportation scheduled for this month but deported some Cameroonians in October.
HRW also stated that the Biden administration "failed to designate temporary protected status for Cameroon, despite conditions making return unsafe."
In Washington, an ICE spokeswoman stated that its officers "may use restraints only in a manner that is safe, secure, and consistent with appropriate ICE-approved and provided training."
HRW reported interviews with 41 deported Cameroonian asylum applicants and 54 other persons in both countries and reviewed videos, images, immigration paperwork, and medical data "corroborating accounts of mistreatment in Cameroon."
Cameroon has been ripped apart by violence since October 2017, when rebels declared an independent state in the Northwest and neighboring Southwest regions, which are home to the majority of the country's anglophone minority, which is 80% French-speaking.
More than 6,000 people have perished, and a million more have fled their homes, according to the International Crisis Group.
