Pastor And Gay Rights Advocate Arrested

 By Tanyi Abe

A renown pastor and gay rights advocate, John Gabga Fomujang, is reported to have been arrested in his house on September 25 during his regular house fellowship.

According to members of the fellowship, security officers stormed his house during the session and accused him of holding an illegal meeting and then promoting gay activities which they consider contrary to the laws of the country.

We also gather that, following his arrest and detention, the population of his neighborhood attacked his house on claims that his activities were also against the culture and community standards.

According to reports, this is not the first time the Man of God and Gay Rights Advocate has been arrested by security officers for the same reason.

We are told that on June 7, while in his church,  some men dressed in civilian attire and claiming to be gays, came to one of his church services to seek counseling and prayers against their sinful and queer sexual orientation.

After praying with and preaching to them, acknowledging and condemning their sins but not rejecting them as sinners because of their sexual preference, they revealed their real identities as security forces and arrested him on the spot.

After spending time in detention, he was released through the intervention of the church leadership on oath to refrain from his empathy and advocacy .

We gather that things turned sour when the church leadership gave him a difficult moment to decide to stop his advocacy or be thrown away from the Church.

He would later decide to leave the church and run a private counselling and fellowship house gathering from where he was picked up again on September 25.

Apart of being a Gay Rights Advocate, John Gabga Fomujang is also suspected of being a gay which seems to make things worse for him.

According to accounts from some members of the church, they described Pastor John as someone who believes in condemning the sins but not the sinners, an advocate of universal love and salvation irrespective of one's religious beliefs, sexual orientation, race, tribal background, or social status

It is worth noting that Section 347 of the Cameroon penal code provides that “whoever has sexual relation with a person of same sex shall be punished with imprisonment from 6 months to 5 years and a fine of 20.000frs to 200.000frs".

The state of Cameroon disallows homosexuality in article 52(3) of ordinance No.81\2 of June 1981 organizing the civil status registration in Cameroon.

It provides that “no marriage may be celebrated if the spouse to be is of the same sex.

The Courts have proven that section 347 of the penal code is not at all intended to decorate the said code but to actually inflict sanction on convicts.

Many other alleged homosexuals and gay advocates have been arrested and detained under Section 347 of the Penal Code.

In November 2011, a Cameroonian court convicted two young men, Jonas Kimie and Franky Ndome, who had been arrested for homosexuality outside a nightclub based solely on their appearance and behaviour to five years' imprisonment.

In July 2013 prominent Cameroonian gay rights advocates and journalist, Eric Lembembe, was found murdered in his house in Yaounde. Lembembe's neck and feet appeared to have been broken and his face, hands, and feet burned with an iron, Human Rights Watch had said.

The offices of a human rights activist, who fights for homosexual rights, Barrister Alice Nkom, were also some time ago ransacked by unknown assailants.

Most gay rights advocates like John Gabga Fomujang, believe their lives are constantly in danger as they are continuously being wanted not only by security operatives but also by the public.