His arrest followed a sarcastic SMS message that he sent to a friend, Azah Levis Gob who also shared it with his friend, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, a secondary-school student.
The SMS was sent as a joke about how difficult it is getting into university or finding a good job without being highly qualified in Cameroon – suggesting it was easier to get into Boko Haram. The message read: ‘Boko Haram recruits young people from 14 years-old and above. Conditions for recruitment: 4 subjects at GCE, plus religion.’
After a teacher saw the message on Afuh Nivelle Nfor’s phone and showed it to the police, Ivo and his friends were arrested in late 2014. Subsequently, all three were charged with several offences, including attempting to organise a rebellion.
A military court in Yaoundé sentenced Ivo and his two friends, Afuh Nivelle Nfor and Azah Levis Gob to 10 years in prison for “crimes” related to terrorism on 2 November 2016.
>> TAKE ACTION: Please send messages to the Cameroonian President Paul Biya, urging him to immediately and unconditionally release Fomusoh Ivo Feh and his two friends, Afuh Nivelle Nfor and Azah Levis Gob.
Please find some suggested tweets below that you could use.
.@PR_Paul_Biya, is sharing a joke enough reason to jail someone? I don’t think so. #FreeTheSMS3 #ProtectOurRights
Tweet #FreeTheSMS3
.@PR_Paul_Biya, stopping #BokoHaram and protecting free speech go together. No one should be imprisoned for a joke #FreeTheSMS3 #ProtectOurRights
Tweet #FreeTheSMS3
.@PR_Paul_Biya, no one should be imprisoned for joking. Free Ivo & ensure rights are respected in #Cameroon #ProtectOurRights
Tweet #FreeTheSMS3
In 2014, Boko Haram, the Nigerian armed group that opposes secular authority, intensified the scale and frequency of its attacks in Cameroon, disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. In response to that, the Cameroonian government had strengthened the security forces in the Far North region with the aim of protecting the civilian population from Boko Haram’s brutal attacks.
In December 2014, Cameroon passed a new law on repression of terrorism. This bill uses broad definitions of terrorist acts, such as “disrupt the normal functioning of public services, the delivery of essential services to the public or create a crisis situation among the public”. Amnesty International and other human rights organisations, opposition parties and civil society actors have denounced the law as a tool for curtailing civil and political rights. They have also anticipated that the government could easily make use of the anti-terror law to silence its opponents and critics. Considering the already limited freedom of expression and assembly, and the repressive practices of the administration and security forces, the anti-terror law is a real threat of further restricting rights and freedoms guaranteed by international law and the country’s constitution.
With the protection of the law, Cameroonian security forces have committed serious human rights abuses, such as arbitrary arrests, unlawful killings and destruction of property. Other violations include death in custody and enforced disappearances, as in case of the #The130Disappeared men and boys during a cordon and search operation in the villages of Magdeme and Doublé on 27 December 2014.
The SMS was sent as a joke about how difficult it is getting into university or finding a good job without being highly qualified in Cameroon – suggesting it was easier to get into Boko Haram. The message read: ‘Boko Haram recruits young people from 14 years-old and above. Conditions for recruitment: 4 subjects at GCE, plus religion.’
After a teacher saw the message on Afuh Nivelle Nfor’s phone and showed it to the police, Ivo and his friends were arrested in late 2014. Subsequently, all three were charged with several offences, including attempting to organise a rebellion.
A military court in Yaoundé sentenced Ivo and his two friends, Afuh Nivelle Nfor and Azah Levis Gob to 10 years in prison for “crimes” related to terrorism on 2 November 2016.
>> TAKE ACTION: Please send messages to the Cameroonian President Paul Biya, urging him to immediately and unconditionally release Fomusoh Ivo Feh and his two friends, Afuh Nivelle Nfor and Azah Levis Gob.
Please find some suggested tweets below that you could use.
.@PR_Paul_Biya, is sharing a joke enough reason to jail someone? I don’t think so. #FreeTheSMS3 #ProtectOurRights
Tweet #FreeTheSMS3
.@PR_Paul_Biya, stopping #BokoHaram and protecting free speech go together. No one should be imprisoned for a joke #FreeTheSMS3 #ProtectOurRights
Tweet #FreeTheSMS3
.@PR_Paul_Biya, no one should be imprisoned for joking. Free Ivo & ensure rights are respected in #Cameroon #ProtectOurRights
Tweet #FreeTheSMS3
Background to the case:
New anti-terrorism law is used to limit freedom of expression
In 2014, Boko Haram, the Nigerian armed group that opposes secular authority, intensified the scale and frequency of its attacks in Cameroon, disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. In response to that, the Cameroonian government had strengthened the security forces in the Far North region with the aim of protecting the civilian population from Boko Haram’s brutal attacks.
In December 2014, Cameroon passed a new law on repression of terrorism. This bill uses broad definitions of terrorist acts, such as “disrupt the normal functioning of public services, the delivery of essential services to the public or create a crisis situation among the public”. Amnesty International and other human rights organisations, opposition parties and civil society actors have denounced the law as a tool for curtailing civil and political rights. They have also anticipated that the government could easily make use of the anti-terror law to silence its opponents and critics. Considering the already limited freedom of expression and assembly, and the repressive practices of the administration and security forces, the anti-terror law is a real threat of further restricting rights and freedoms guaranteed by international law and the country’s constitution.
With the protection of the law, Cameroonian security forces have committed serious human rights abuses, such as arbitrary arrests, unlawful killings and destruction of property. Other violations include death in custody and enforced disappearances, as in case of the #The130Disappeared men and boys during a cordon and search operation in the villages of Magdeme and Doublé on 27 December 2014.
Cameroon must acknowledge human rights abuses by its security forces
Cameroon authorities have so far failed to acknowledge these human rights abuses and investigate any reliable allegations of crimes. They must ensure that suspects are only arrested if there is a reasonable suspicion that they may have committed a crime and that evidence is appropriately gathered. If there are insufficient grounds for arrest, people must be immediately released. Furthermore, the authorities must ensure that detainees are promptly brought before an independent civilian court that upholds international fair-trial standards, they are informed of the charges against them and have access to a lawyer allowing them to challenge the legality of their detention.