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DE RUEHYD #0237/01 0691449
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101449Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9761
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 000237 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/C AND DRL 
STATE FOR USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/W 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV CM
SUBJECT: CAMEROON: JUSTICE MINISTER DISCUSSES REFORM PRIORITIES IN 
LIGHT OF HRR 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  The Government of Cameroon (GRC) acknowledges the 
persistence of significant human rights violations in Cameroon, but 
is committed to stepping up investigations and punishment of 
violators, according to Amadou Ali, the Vice Prime Minister and 
Minister of Justice.  Ambassador, accompanied by Poloff, met 
recently with Ali to discuss the recently-released Human Rights 
Report for Cameroon, the protracted incarceration of employees of 
American transport company Le Car, and the GRC's anti-corruption 
efforts (septel). 
 
Protracted Incarceration of Le Car Staff 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  On February 27, Ambassador met with Ali to follow up on a 
letter she sent him to request further information regarding the 
arrest and continued incarceration of four Cameroonian nationals 
working for the Le Car bus company, a subsidiary of American 
investor Transnational Automotive Group (TAUG).  Ali provided the 
GRC's version of events, saying the arrests were made pursuant to 
allegations that members of Le Car's guard force (contracted from 
G4S) assaulted a Cameroonian magistrate on orders from the Le Car 
bus station manager.  Ali's account differed substantially from what 
Le Car has told us, but Ali admitted that, under Cameroon's new 
criminal procedure code, the four individuals should have been 
granted bail rather than kept incarcerated for more than three weeks 
while awaiting a hearing.  Ali assured the Ambassador that the four 
would be granted bail as soon as they requested it.  (Note.  TAUG 
officials told the Embassy that the four individuals were released 
on bail within the week.  Their trial date is still pending.  End 
note.) 
 
Pre-Judging the HRR 
------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Admitting that he hadn't read the courtesy copy of the 
2008 HRR the Ambassador sent him the day it was released, Ali 
launched into a commentary on the HRR process, saying foreigners who 
commented on the human rights situation in Cameroon were never 
willing to acknowledge steps the GRC had taken to improve the 
situation and often compiled their reports without having visited 
Cameroon.  Ambassador and Poloff explained that the USG dedicated 
substantial resources to compiling the annual HRR and highlighted 
GRC progress whenever appropriate, as had been done in the 2008 HRR 
for those areas (including corruption, prisons, women's rights and 
other issues) where there had been meaningful positive 
developments. 
 
Cameroon's Mentality: "Authority Before Justice" 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Ali said he is trying to change the prevailing mentality 
among Cameroonian magistrates, which is to "throw someone in jail 
first, then to reflect on what he might have done," a legacy of 
Cameroon's turbulent early years of independence, when "authority 
took priority over justice."  To illustrate this point, Ali pointed 
out that there are fewer than 60 courts at all levels in Cameroon to 
dispense justice, while "authority" is exercised by 500 
administrative units, 1,000 gendarmerie units, 400-500 intelligence 
(DGRE) offices and dozens of military units.  Ali estimated that 
Cameroon currently incarcerates about 24,000 people, of whom about 
4,000 should be released on bail under the new criminal procedure 
code.  To relieve the burden on the justice system, Ali said he is 
hiring more magistrates (especially to handle cases in Douala, 
Cameroon's largest city) and seeking to integrate traditional courts 
into the formal justice system to handle pedestrian civil disputes. 
 
Prisons Are a Priority 
---------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Saying that prison reform remains a top priority, Ali 
predicted that "Cameroon's prisons will be completely revamped 
within three years."  Ali reviewed the GRC's plans to spend 1.2 
billion CFA (about $2.4 million) in a joint program with the EU to 
construct new prisons and refurbish existing structures.  For the 
first time in Cameroon's history, the prison budgets include line 
items for medications, Ali boasted. 
 
Better the Minister You Know... 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Comment.  Ali was customarily prickly in denouncing 
foreign finger-waggers and defending Cameroon's justice system while 
at the same time admitting its shortcomings.  Ali is a stalwart of 
the "authority before justice" regime and he played a central role 
in the GRC's questionable response to the riots of February 2008, 
but his long record of service is marked by uncommon competence and 
integrity.  Our contacts still wax eloquent about his unparalleled 
effectiveness as Minister of Defense (1997-2001).  Mindful that the 
 
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next Minister of Justice might not offer the same opportunities for 
engagement and reform, we have already begun coordinating with other 
donors to identify some shared priorities for short-term action. 
End comment.