The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said it is deeply concerned over recent threats to LGBT rights defenders in Cameroon.
The organization said that Alice Nkom, chairperson of the Association for the Defense of Homosexuality, has been threatened with arrest by state officials and with violence from segments of civil society.
Harassment of Nkom and the organization has mounted since Jan. 4 when local media reported that the group will receive a grant from the European Union for "support and training for sexual minorities."
The harassment has included a fatwa from the Coalition of Cameroonian Youth, televised denunciations of Nkom and the group by representatives of the Communications Ministry and the Bar Association of Cameroon, police cars parked outside the group's offices for hours on end, and Minister of External Relations Henri Eyebe Ayissi's reportedly urging the EU to cancel the grant.
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