Published on 6/16/2026
Cameroonian opposition figure Issa Chiroma Bakare announced that he had filed two criminal complaints with the Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Paris, based on the principle of “universal jurisdiction,” targeting Cameroonian President Paul Biya and about 20 senior officials of his regime, against the backdrop of the suppression of the protests that followed the presidential elections on October 12, 2025.
According to what was reported by French media, the two complaints were filed on October 12 with the Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Paris, where the name of Paul Biya, who has ruled the country since 1982, was mentioned, in addition to the Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the Minister of Regional Administration, Paul Atanga Njie, the Minister of Defense, Joseph Petit Assomo, and a number of army, guard, and police officials.
According to the same source, Chiroma Bakare attributes to them “murders, arbitrary detentions, acts of torture and extrajudicial executions” committed in the weeks following the October 12, 2025 vote, results whose official authenticity he disputes.
Radio France Internationale quoted Chiroma as saying that he had launched an investigation the day after the elections, aiming to collect information, testimonies and evidence, and to determine “the chain of responsibilities from those who command them to those who implement them.” The opposition member says, according to the radio, that several thousand Cameroonians are still detained in various prisons in conditions he describes as “illegal” and in violation of basic rights.
The French newspaper La Nouvelle Tribune explained that the judicial procedure was preceded by the collection of testimonies and evidence with the participation of Cameroonian and international lawyers and representatives of civil society, and that legal coordination was entrusted to Cameroonian lawyer Alice Nkom, known for defending human rights.
Yaounde downplays the move
On the other hand, the ruling party, the Democratic Rally of the People of Cameroon, responded through its Assistant Secretary-General, Gregoire Ouna, who said in a statement to Radio France Internationale that Chiroma “is only seeking to attract attention, while the Rally of the Democratic People of Cameroon is busy preparing for the upcoming elections. We are too busy to talk about Chiroma.”
Africanews reported that the Cameroonian government rejected the accusations and downplayed the judicial procedure. La Nouvelle Tribune indicated that, until the moment its news was published, no public responses had been issued by any of the Cameroonian officials directly concerned with the two complaints.
Chiroma Bakare, a former minister who broke away from Biya before the elections and ran against him, had contested the official results that granted Biya, 93 years old, a new presidential term, declaring that he had won and accusing the authorities of targeting opposition activists through arrests and repression after the vote, according to “African News.”
What might be the consequences of the two complaints?
According to La Nouvelle Tribune, filing a complaint with the Paris Prosecutor’s Office does not automatically lead to prosecution, as the Public Prosecutor has time to decide whether or not to open a preliminary investigation. Chiroma Bakare’s lawyers announced their intention to resort to other international mechanisms to protect human rights if the Parisian path does not lead to results. African News reported that the French judicial authorities will now decide whether or not to proceed with the investigation into the two complaints.
