The United Kingdom has been urged to sanction Cameroon government because of gross human rights violations by her Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Commonwealth Affairs
4 min read
It is barely a week after the United States passed a resolution condemning gross human rights violations and calling for the international community to take actions in ensuring that the warring parties in Cameroon commence dialogue/negotiations process. Emily Thornberry is UK Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. While speaking on 19 January 2021, she said that the UK government should consider following the United States’ call for the international community to rally behind them in making sure that the Cameroon government is pressured to stop human rights violations. Her presentation focused on the recently signed trade deal between Cameroon and the United Kingdom, which she said the trade deal did not take into consideration the protection of human rights. Below is the full presentation transcript from a 4minutes 6seconds video.
Madame Deputy Speaker, Just Five days before the US senate was attacked, they came together to approve a resolution co-sponsored by 20 senators from both parties. From Marcro Rubio to Cory Booker, and it was about this: about the brutal campaign of subjugation by the French speaking government in Cameroon against the Country’s English Speaking Minority.
The Senate Resolution condemned with great force the atrocities committed by the Anglophone Separatist Militias. And it speaks with equal power about the actions of the Cameroon government including, I quote; torture and sexual abuse, massacres and burning of villages, use of live ammunition against protesters, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention, forced disappearances and deaths in custody, attacks on journalists and the regular killing of civilians, including women, children and the elderly
Madame Deputy Speaker, the Senate Resolution noted approvingly that exactly one year before, the Office of the US Trade Representative, remember this is Donald Trump’s Trade Representative, the direct counterpart of the Secretary of State for International Trade had terminated Cameroon’s access to Preferential Trade Rights due I quote; to persistent gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.
And finally Madame Deputy Speaker, in that same spirit, the senate resolution urged members of the international community to join the United States in a strategic collective effort to put pressure on the government of Cameroon. Including I quote; the use of all available diplomatic and punitive tools. And I quote that Senate Resolution at length. Madame Deputy Speaker because I believe that we must ask ourselves what on earth those senators would think if they knew that on that very same day when they were unanimously passing those strong words of condemnation, towards the government of Cameroon and urging the international community to join them. Here in the United Kingdom, we were bringing into effect a brand new Continuity Trade Agreement with Cameroon. A trade deal which was agreed by the ministers apparently with no consideration and clearly no concern for the persistent gross violations of international human rights that are taking place inside Cameroon
A Trade Deal which none of us, in this house, bar the Ministers on the bench opposite have even been allowed to read, let alone debate or approve. And a trade deal which may or may not contain provisions on human rights but until the government finally decide to publish it, we the elected members of this parliament simply cannot know. I hope that members on all sides will keep the example of Cameroon in mind and consider the words of US Senate and the actions of the US Trade Representative when judging how to vote later on. Because we all know that on occasions like this, when amendments are up for debate, ministers will try to persuade us that they don’t disagree with the good intentions behind them and they just don’t think that they are really required.
How ever, if that is what Ministers are saying today in relation to amendments 2 and 3 on Human RIGHTS OR 1 and 5 on Parliamentary Scrutiny, I would only ask Members to remember Cameroon. A Trade Deal don with a regime, which is slaughtering women and children just because they live in English Speaking towns. A trade deal done in the face of the US Senate on the dame day they called for international support and a trade deal which incredibly has still not been laid before parliament, almost three weeks after it come into force. I would urge all member to think about the Cameroon Deal and how little consideration ministers gave either to human right or to the right of this parliament when they decided to sign it.
And then finally, ask yourself and ask your conscience whether you accept what those same ministers are saying when they go through the amendments before us today and tell you they are not really required.
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
