The State Department on Tuesday
condemned the murder of Cameron gay rights activist Eric Ohena
Lembembe.
According to a report by Human
Rights Watch, Lembembe, the executive director of the Cameroonian
Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), was found murdered in his home. He
appeared to have been tortured to death.
“We deplore the brutal murder of Eric
Ohena Lembembe,” a state department spokesperson said in a
statement, “who was found tortured to death in his home in Yaunde
yesterday. We condemn this terrible act in the strongest terms and
urge the Cameroonian authorities to thoroughly and promptly
investigate and prosecute those responsible for his death.”
After being unable to reach Lembembe by
phone for two days, friends checked in on him at his home. They
found his front door padlocked on the outside. Through a window they
could see Lembembe's limp body lying on his bed. Police were called
to the scene and they broke down the door.
One eyewitness said that the LGBT
rights activist appeared to have been tortured to death, his neck and
feet broken, and his face, hands and feet burned with an iron.
“The United States actively promotes
respect for the human rights of all people, including LGBT
individuals, in Cameroon and around the world,” the spokesperson
added. “We will continue to support activists, like Mr. Lembembe,
who stand up for the human rights of all people, regardless of who
they are or who they love.”
Lembembe's murder follows several
attacks on other prominent human rights activists.
(Related: Cameroon
gay rights lawyer Michel Togue seeks refuge in United States.)