Human Rights Defenders at Cross Roads in Cameroon

The motivation of this piece of work is driven from the repression faced by human rights defenders in the Cameroons especially following the promulgation in the 2014 anti- terrorism law by the government. This intellectual paddle is focused on the increasing persecution of human rights defenders across the globe either by dictatorial governments or through national legislation's enacted to silence the voices of dissents. In recent years, most African government have developed specific legislations under the guise of fighting terrorism which in effect are mechanism to crackdown on dissents and repress press freedom, freedom of assembly and association as fundamental rights. The work further identifies and analyzed the various challenges wrecking dissents in the Cameroons in the execution of their duties as voices of minorities. It also talks about the press censorship in the country and its effects on the media sector. Also highlighted here are the penalties associated with what is considered a breach of the 2014 anti-terrorism law by the government. Most interestingly, this work will highlight the government¿s use of military tribunals to try dissents instead of civilian courts.