ABSTRACT

Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The term “freedom of expression” is sometimes used synonymously but includes any act of seeking, receiving, and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. Freedom of expression is recognized as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 19 of the UDHR states that “everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference” and “everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice”. There’s gross violation of the right to freedom of expression in Cameroon. On September 18, 2019, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights found that Cameroon violated the freedom of expression, freedom of non-discrimination, and property rights when it failed to create an independent licensing authority for a broadcasting company. The petitioners argued that there were three different violations of human rights. Thus we have critically examined the extent to which freedom of expression and the press is protected in Cameroon looking at the frameworks and institutions put in place to guarantee freedom of expression in the country, using the qualitative research method which does not make use of numerical or statistical data. We found out within the study that Three years ago, there was considerable international focus on human rights abuses in the main cities of Cameroon. Since then, violations of freedom of expression have continued at an alarming rate in the rural areas of the north. There, largely out of sight of the international community, government and traditional authorities suppress opposition activity and government critics, regularly employing arbitrary or unlawful methods to enforce their will.   It is not enough for the government of Cameroon to address human rights issues only in those areas where abuses are conspicuous and likely to lead to expressions of international concern.

                                                         CHAPTER 1

                                        GENERAL INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction from the government. The term freedom of expression is usually used synonymously but, in legal sense, includes any activity of seeking, receiving, and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.

The right to freedom of expression is recognized as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 19 of the UDHR states that “everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference” and “everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice”. The version of Article 19 in the ICCPR later amends this by stating that the exercise of these rights carries “special duties and responsibilities” and may “therefore be subject to certain restrictions” when necessary “[f]or respect of the rights or reputation of others” or “[f]or the protection of national security or of public order (order public), or of public health or morals”.