A video purportedly showing the famous Cameroonian singer Simon Longkana Agno, popularly known as Longue Longue, being tortured has led to widespread anger in the country.
The singer, who is famous for playing a song that talks about bad governance, colonialism and other things that are not going well in society, said that this video was taken after he was arrested in 2019, but it is the first time that the public has seen it.
Longue Longue shared it himself, but it’s not clear why it’s out now or how he got it.
Cameroonian authorities said in a statement that they had opened an investigation into the “unfortunate incident”.
Warning: This article contains images and descriptions of torture
In the video, Longue Longue’s hands are tied behind her back, and she sits on the ground in her underwear as the soles of her bare feet are beaten with a flat machete.
Although he appealed to stop the beatings, the men accused by Longue Longue of being security guards, continue.
The BBC could not verify the video. We tried to contact this artist but failed.
On his Facebook page, he said he was arrested for his “freedom of thought”, and promised to file legal complaints in Cameroon and France.
He was arrested in 2019 after posting a video claiming that longtime President Paul Biya rigged the 2018 elections.
The artist said that the leader of the opposition, Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), was the winner of the election.
At that time, the Constitutional Council rejected Kamto’s request to repeat the allegations of fraud.
The leader of the opposition party is one of those who criticized this incident of torture, saying that there should be an investigation into this incident.
“CRM strongly condemns this brutality of the government and wants an immediate investigation to arrest and bring to court the perpetrators of these heinous acts,” said Kamto in a statement sent to X.
He added that the video “reminds of the horrific treatment” opposition activists faced during the violence in 2019 when hundreds of their supporters were arrested.
Prominent Cameroonian human rights lawyer Akere Muna said Longue Longue’s treatment was “a stark reminder of the depth of depravity that can befall humanity”.
Rights groups have criticized the government for creating impunity for members of the country’s security forces.
They also accused the authorities of cracking down on opposition parties ahead of next year’s presidential election.
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