Yaoundé: 4 journalists detained while investigating U.S. deportees   ⁰

Four journalists and a lawyer were arrested Tuesday in Cameroon while reporting on Africans recently deported from the United States.

The journalists were in a compound in Yaoundé where the deportees were being held to interview and document the conditions, when they were detained by Cameroon authorities, multiple news outlets report.

The judicial police separated the reporters from the lawyer and brought them in for questioning. During his detention, an Associated Press reporter said a police member struck him. The police confiscated cameras, phones and laptops before releasing the reporters.

Cameroon officials said the journalists held sensitive government information, but no formal charges have been filed.

None of the deportees were citizens of Cameroon, and many had legal protections against removal to their home countries, where many of them said their lives would be at risk, according to reports.

Their lawyers said none of the deportees were accused of violent crimes. They also said that those held in detention were told they could not leave the facility unless they agreed to return to their respective countries, despite having gained previous removal protections.

The case has raised concerns over transparency and press freedoms in Cameroon and the U.S. deportation practices that place many in dangerous situations. 

It is unknown whether there is a formal agreement between the U.S. government and Cameroon on the placement of deported individuals.

Cameroon’s Ministry of External Affairs has made no public comment and the State Department told The New York Times it would not comment on “diplomatic communications with other governments.”

Critics, including former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official Scott Schuchart, said the deportations to Cameroon are potentially illegal.

Source: Washington Times