C 224/114
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
8.6.2022
Thursday 25 November 2021
6.
Calls on the Cameroonian authorities to stop bringing people to trial before military tribunals, with predetermined outcomes and the imposition of the death penalty, which is unlawful under international human rights law; recalls that the death penalty has not been used in Cameroon since 1997, a milestone in the country’s path towards full abolition; reiterates the EU’s opposition to the death penalty in all cases and without exception; calls on the Government of Cameroon to ensure that it will be abolished; calls on the Government of Cameroon to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the abolition of the death penalty; urges the courts to refrain from issuing such sentences and to confirm that it will not seek the death penalty; 7.
Deplores the use of violence, in particular against children, and is particularly concerned about the impact of the crisis on children; calls on both sides to the conflict to cease intentionally targeting civilians and urges separatists to immediately cease attacks against schools and end, with immediate effect, all forced boycotts on education, allowing for the safe return to school of all students and teachers; 8.
Calls on the Cameroonian authorities to protect all women in the country, especially in the conflict areas, and to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment through boosting the participation of women and women’s rights organisations in public and political life; calls for the development of specific EU actions to strengthen the rights of different groups of women, with a special focus on young people, migrants, women living with HIV, LGBTQI people and people with disabilities; 9.
Believes that the decentralisation process, seen as a system of economic, social and political governance, is a key instrument to respond to the multiple development challenges, notably through the enhanced accountability of local politicians and local administrations vis-à-vis engaged citizens; welcomes the EU’s support for the process; 10.
Condemns the excessive use and abuse of force against political opponents and peaceful protestors; deplores the use of lockdown measures, such as curfews or the banning of public meetings, under the veil of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to constrain freedom of expression, the press and the right to peaceful assembly; expresses concern at the status of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Cameroon; deplores the arbitrary arrest and harassment of journalists and opposition politicians and the silencing of political dissent; calls on the Cameroonian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release political opponents, protesters and all other citizens who have been arbitrarily arrested and detained solely for political purposes; condemns the violations of fundamental freedoms; 11.
Calls on social media platforms to work with the government, the opposition and civil society to ensure that their pages are verified and limit inflammatory content, hate speech and misinformation, which further break down intercommunal relations; 12.
Deplores the fact that over 40 000 people were denied food assistance due to insecurity and roadblocks in the North West and the South West regions, as well as the recent attacks on health facilities and health workers, and the fact that humanitarian activities were banned under lockdown; condemns the blockage of humanitarian aid and attacks against humanitarian workers, including their abduction, harassment and murder in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, and condemns, equally, the escalating intimidation of independent monitors and human rights defenders, especially women’s rights defenders, whose work is more important than ever in the context of serious human rights violations by all parties to the conflict; insists that all parties to the conflict immediately provide unfettered humanitarian access; calls on the Government of Cameroon to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the regions in crisis; 13.
Calls for the UN and the EU to continue monitoring the humanitarian situation and assessing needs; calls for urgent humanitarian support from the international community, including the EU and its Member States, to respond effectively and meet the urgent needs of the population accordingly; considers that a UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission to Cameroon would be appropriate to determine the degree to which international human rights law and international humanitarian law have been violated and by whom; 14.
Condemns the terrorist actions by Boko Haram in Cameroon; acknowledges the efforts of the Cameroonian authorities in combating the group; calls on the international community to support all efforts to combat the Islamist armed group; insists that terrorism can only be fought efficiently if we address the causes and specific problems related to inequality; 15.
Instructs its President to forward this Resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Government and Parliament of Cameroon, and the co-presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Assembly.