After being arrested in August and having already spent six months in jail, Lazare Baeeg, Emmanuel Balep, and Tony Dikongue have been found guilty of homosexuality in Cameroon and are required to serve six months of hard labour.

Attorney for the three men Alice Nkom announced the conviction on Wednesday and said “None of these people were caught in homosexual acts, so the court cannot condemn them for something they never did.

“[The three] have already suffered innocently, so they need to be released, since they have already spent nearly six months in prison cells without trial.”

Homosexuality in Cameroon is illegal as specified in Section 347 of the country’s Penal Code. The “crime” carries a sentence of a minimum six months to five years in prison, and/or a fine of 200,000 CFA BEAC Francs (AU$510).

Tags: glbt