This Friday, July 29, 2022, the former General Manager of the Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV), Amadou Vamoulke, will have spent six years in the Kondengui Maximum Security Prison, still awaiting trial despite incessant calls from Reporters Without Borders for his release.

The veteran French Cameroun journalist was arrested for alleged misappropriation of public funds, during his time as head of CRTV from 2005 to 2016. He is also accused of embezzling TV tax money known in Cameroon as audio-visual fee.

His trial has witnessed several postponements and adjournments with no end in sight and the much respected international NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) now believes that Vamoulke is being arbitrarily detained by the Cameroonian justice system for political reasons.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands that there have been 127 hearings and this great journalist has still not been found guilty of all the charges brought against him. The reason is very simple noted Reporters Without Borders “The prosecution has been unable to demonstrate with the slightest evidence and testimony the facts of embezzlement that it accuses Mr. Vamoulké of. The arbitrary nature of this detention was recognized by the UN, which recommended that the Cameroonian authorities release Vamoulké. This journalist has already lost six years of his life. He is 72 years old. We hope that the goal is not to silence him forever. His release is no longer just an issue,” said Arnaud Froger, the head of Reporters Without Borders for Africa

A committee for the rehabilitation and release of Vamoulké has even been set up to put pressure on the Biya regime to demand the release of Amadou Vamoulke, and includes personalities from the audiovisual sector and also several organizations for the defense and protection of journalists and human rights organizations. The said committee has initiated since 2019, the signing of  petitions and to date, it has already collected thousands of signatures and the signatories are from 42 countries.

By Fon Lawrence