UNCOMMON COURAGE: CAMEROON'S MADELEINE AFITE

UNCLAS YAOUNDE 001057

SIPDIS

TO ANDREA BOTTNER, SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S
ISSUES FROM AMBASSADOR JANET GARVEY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KWMN KPAO PHUM PGOV CM
SUBJECT: UNCOMMON COURAGE: CAMEROON'S MADELEINE AFITE


1. (SBU) I am proud to nominate Madeline Afite, the President of
Cameroon's Maison de Droits de l'Homme and a extraordinary champion
of democracy and human rights, for the Secretary's 2009 Award for
International Women of Courage. Madeline is a fearless champion of
human rights and democracy. She has displayed uncommon courage,
never wavering from her activism despite repeated threats to her
person and liberty. As a female human rights activist in Cameroon,
Madeleine bravely confronts a menacing political environment
(Freedom House ranks Cameroon as "not free") and a dissuasive social
context, where women are discouraged from taking confrontational or
leadership positions in public.


2. (SBU) The United States Government's paramount objective in
Cameroon remains the strengthening of democratic institutions and
practices. The Government of Cameroon continues to commit human
rights abuses (as reflected in the annual Human Rights Reports and
similar indicators),and those brave individuals who criticize the
government and prevailing conditions risk retribution. In this
context, where outspoken advocates for human rights are so rare,
Madeleine Afite's courageous work is a powerful beacon for advocates
of democracy and rule of law in Cameroon.


3. (SBU) Since she began her work (as the Coordinator for the
Action of Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT)) in 1993,
Madeline has been a tireless advocate for the protection of
fundamental rights. In her position as the President of the Maison
de Droits de l'Homme (which she holds concurrently with her post at
ACAT),Madeleine was an advocate for women in Cameroon. For
example, she provided attorneys for women who could not afford
representation and were facing divorce hearings where their ability
to retain property was at stake. She has also worked to improve the
condition of women in Cameroon's prisons.


4. (SBU) Madeleine's advocacy is not limited to women's rights,
however. Most recently, Madeline was one of the few voices to speak
out against human rights abuses during the riots and government
crackdown in February. When an opposition political party sought to
protest the President's plans to remove constitutional term limits,
police responded with disproportionate force, igniting violent
riots, flamed by socio-economic and political frustrations. Amid
the violence and chaos, Madeleine worked fearlessly to catalogue the
deaths and human rights abuses to ensure the perpetrators would
eventually be held accountable. Madeleine's work provided the only
credible data for what occurred during those tumultuous days. For
her bravery, Madeleine was rewarded with threats, from people in
government and anonymous callers. The threats were not empty;
vandals trashed her car, breaking the windows, while she visited a
local television station for interviews. Madeleine's work in the
wake of the February riots continues to this day; she is still
providing legal assistance to those who were convicted in speedy
trials without lawyers.


5. (SBU) Madeleine says her work has regularly triggered threats
(including death threats) against her and her family, leading her to
send her children abroad to France. She has told us that she will
continue this work because she loves her country and does not want
Cameroon to follow the cautionary tale of Rwanda and other countries
she has studied. Madeline is a model for others in Cameroon.
Together, they will catalyze the democratic reform that is needed to
ensure the country's long-term stability. By recognizing her with
the Secretary's International Women of Courage Award, we will not
only help advance the respect for human rights in Cameroon, we will
associate ourselves with one of the world's most extraordinary
activists and women.


6. (U) Madeleine was notified of this nomination (and was grateful
for the gesture of support). She was born on May 15, 1957 in
Cameroon and retains Cameroonian nationality. Her email address is
afite_m@yahoo.fr. Her mailing address is BP 213, Douala, Cameroon.
Her phone numbers are 99-86-54-86 and 33-40-42-96.

GARVEY.