Alice Nkom

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Alice Nkom (2018)

Alice Nkom (born January 14, 1945 in Poutkak , Littoral region , Cameroon ) is a Cameroonian lawyer and human rights activist . As the founder and chairwoman of the Association pour la Défense des Droits des Homosexuel (le) s (ADEFHO), she campaigns against the criminalization and social exclusion of homosexual people in Cameroon.

Live and act

Alice Nkom studied law in Toulouse and Douala . In 1969 she was the first black woman in Cameroon to be admitted to the bar. Since 1974 she has been a partner in a joint law firm in Douala. Since then she has stood up for victims of human rights violations; She gained notoriety mainly through her defense against people charged with their actual or perceived sexual orientation. The case of her client Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, who was sentenced to imprisonment in 2011 for his homosexuality and in whose favor Amnesty International led a worldwide campaign, attracted particular international attention .

In 2003 she founded ADEFHO, the first organization in Cameroon to campaign publicly for the protection and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT ) people. The establishment met with considerable opposition from the Cameroonian government and the public. Alice Nkom has been threatened with arrest and the revocation of her law firm's license several times. She has received daily threats for several years and needs personal protection. After her colleague Michel Togué had to leave the country with his family for his safety, Alice Nkom is the only lawyer based in Cameroon who defends people accused of homosexuality in court.

Alice Nkom lives in Douala. She is married and has two kids.

The documentary Born This Way by Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullmann, which was shown at the 63rd Berlinale in 2013 , deals with the situation of LGBT people in Cameroon and contains several interview sequences in which Alice Nkom describes her work.

Awards

The German section of the organization Amnesty International awarded Alice Nkom the Amnesty International Human Rights Prize on March 18, 2014 .

See also

Web links

Commons : Alice Nkom  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Curriculum Vitae - Press Release from Amnesty International (PDF) ( Memento from January 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 2, 2014
  2. ↑ Prisoner of Conscience, Imprisoned for Homosexuality , accessed on March 2, 2014 (English)
  3. ↑ Cameroon: No Protection for LGBTI Persons , January 24, 2013, accessed March 2, 2014
  4. ↑ Alexis Okeowo: The Eight Most Fascinating Africans of 2012. In: The New Yorker . December 7, 2012, accessed March 2, 2014 .
  5. ↑ Stephanie Stallmann: She fights for homosexual rights. How a text message cost a gay his life. In: Focus . February 1, 2014, accessed March 2, 2014 .
  6. ^ Rev. Canon Albert Ogle: The power of Two. In: SDGLN. January 17, 2014, accessed March 2, 2014 .
  7. ↑ Born This Way in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  8. ↑ Berlinale film data sheet , accessed on March 2, 2014
  9. ↑ 7th Amnesty Human Rights Prize goes to Alice Nkom from Cameroon , accessed on November 22, 2013
  10. ^ Fight for gay rights: Amnesty International honors lawyer from Cameroon Spiegel Online, March 18, 2014, accessed on the same day.
personal data
SURNAME Nkom, Alice
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Cameroonian lawyer and human rights activist
DATE OF BIRTH January 14, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Poutkak , Cameroon