Freedom House urges US to bar Cameroon from AGOA trade benefits over journalist repression
Freedom House has called on the United States to declare Cameroon ineligible for trade benefits under the African Grouwth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2026, citing the government’s ongoing persecution and arbitrary detention of journalists as a serious breach of international human rights standards.
In a statement released ahead of the July 18 public hearing on AGOA eligibility, Freedom House, in collaboration with the Committee to Protect Journalists, submitted a written comment to US authorities urging them to deny Cameroon continued access to the preferential trade program.
“To be eligible for trade benefits under AGOA, sub-Saharan African countries must meet statutorily defined criteria, several of which relate to human rights.
They include (1) establishing, or making continual progress toward establishing, the rule of law and the right to due process, a fair trial, and equal protection under the law; (2) not engaging in gross violations of inte
nationally recognized human rights; and (3) cooperating with international efforts to eliminate human rights violations. However, as the ongoing repression and detention of journalists makes clear, Cameroon does not fully meet these criteria,” the statement read.
Freedom House’s submission outlines a grim picture of media freedom in Cameroon, with detailed accounts of egregious violations of due process and fair trial rights faced by detained journalists.
“Journalists in Cameroon who are charged, arrested, and criminally prosecuted are routinely subjected to egregious violations of their due process and fair trial rights,” the organization stated.
Cameroon’s record has continued to decline, according to Freedom House’s own metrics.
“In Freedom in the World 2019 and Freedom in the World 2020, Cameroon received a score of 1 out of 4 on the indicator for due process and 1 out of 16 for the larger rule-of-law subcategory, but each year since based on collected evidence, the country has received a score of 0 for both subcategories.”
The organization also condemned the use of prolonged arbitrary detention, often involving torture, lack of formal charges, and incommunicado conditions that “amount to enforced disappearance.”
It accused Cameroonian authorities of ignoring international rulings, including those by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which had called for the immediate release of journalists Tsi Conrad, Amadou Vamoulké, Mancho Bibixy Tse, and Thomas Awah Junior.
“Finally, by ignoring the opinions of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention… the Cameroonian government is not cooperating with international efforts to eliminate human rights violations,” Freedom House stated.
The organization concluded by urging the US to withhold AGOA benefits until Cameroon shows substantial progress. “Such progress must include the release of the four detained journalists listed above, as well as a fifth, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, who has been behind bars in violation of international law since 2020.”
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