WASHINGTON, DC 21 September 2020 – Professor Maurice Kamto, President of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), the main opposition party in Cameroon, has retained the international law firm of Amsterdam & Partners LLP to defend, inter alia, the constitutional and internationally guaranteed rights of Cameroonians who will be participating in the peaceful nationwide protests, beginning on 22 September 2020.
On 28 January 2019, Professor Kamto, the leader of the Cameroon pro-democracy movement and outspoken critic of the regime of President Paul Biya, was illegally arrested along with his allies and members of his party, after peaceful rallies that they had organized to challenge the results of the rigged presidential election of 7 October 2018 and to demand an end to the ongoing civil war in the North-West and South-West Regions of the country.
After being charged before a military court with counts of insurrection, hostility against the homeland, criminal association, threats to public order, rebellion, group rebellion and inciting insurrection, they were released after nine months of arbitrary detention. However, the charges against them have not been quashed, but only suspended and may be reactivated at any moment by the Biya regime.
As part of this pro bono engagement, Amsterdam & Partners LLP will strengthen existing and explore further avenues for legal and public actions in municipal and international jurisdictions to vindicate Professor Kamto, his allies and CRM’s internationally recognized rights and bring pressure against Mr. Biya and state officials involved in unlawful activity.
“Professor Kamto has demonstrated outstanding leadership and resilience towards his goal of ushering peaceful change in Cameroon. His unwavering courage and integrity despite a particularly challenging and corrupt political environment are highly commendable. We are proud to work with him and the CRM to help raise awareness about the plight of Cameroonians and demand international action against the perpetrators of unlawful acts that have been committed or planned,” said Robert Amsterdam, founding partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP.
Professor Kamto explains his retention of Amsterdam & Partners LLP as crucial to accompany the irreversible journey of the people of Cameroon towards democracy:
“In the context of a country characterized by state sponsored violations of human rights and basic democratic principles, it takes international scrutiny, inter alia through the support of renowned professionals such as Amsterdam & Partners LLP, to complement the determination of the people of Cameroon to stand for their dignity.”
Amsterdam & Partners LLP is an international law firm engaged in matters and representations globally and throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Most recently the firm has represented opposition Tanzanian Member of Parliament Tundu Lissu, as well as the former President of Zambia Rupiah Banda, the Governor of Kaduna State (Nigeria) Nasir El-Rufai, and the former Governor of Akwa Ibom (Nigeria) Godswill Akpabio. Previously, Mr. Amsterdam represented the Red Shirt pro-democracy movement in Thailand and succeeded in having the Prime Minister indicted for overseeing violence against protesters.
Amsterdam & Partners LLP maintains offices in Washington DC and London, and is presently engaged in more than a dozen countries around the world. More information about Amsterdam & Partners LLP can be found at amsterdamandpartners.com.