Bertrand Teyou
Encyclopedia
Bertrand Zepherin Teyou is a Cameroon
ian author who was imprisoned from November 2010 to May 2011 on charges of insulting Chantal Biya
, the wife of President Paul Biya
in a recent book and for trying to hold a public reading of this book. In the book, La Belle de la république bananière : Chantal Biya, de la rue au palais (English: "The Belle of the Banana Republic: Chantal Biya, from the Streets to the Palace"), Teyou traces the Mrs. Biya's rise from ordinary origins to become the First Lady of Cameroon.
On 3 November 2010, Teyou was arrested at a hotel in Douala
where he had organized a book signing; copies of his book were seized and destroyed. On 10 November, he was tried by the High Court (Tribunal de première instance) in
Douala and found guilty of "insult to character" and organizing an "illegal demonstration". The court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of 2,030,150 CFA francs (approximately 4,425 US dollars). Because he could not pay the fine, he began serving his sentence in New Bell Prison in Douala.
The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN
protested his trial and called for his immediate release. Amnesty International
considered him to be a prisoner of conscience
.
In February 2011, Teyou went on hunger strike to protest conditions in New Bell. On 8 March 2011, Le Jour
reported that Teyou had been hospitalized. Amnesty International also issued an "Urgent Action" over concerns for his declining health, stating, "He is said to suffer from heavy bleeding caused by acute haemorrhoids, reportedly exacerbated by poor prison diet. Overcrowding is a problem in Cameroonian prisons and the food is known to be of poor quality and inadequate." Amnesty International had previously described general conditions at New Bell as "often life-threatening".
In a March 2011 interview, Teyou described his motives for writing his book, saying, "We are entitled to rise against the injustice that is crippling our country. We cannot let evil go unquestioned... This book is the expression of my dissatisfaction with what is going on in Cameroon, especially the macabre system that gives Chantal Biya the leeway to treat people around her with extreme cruelty."
On 2 May 2011, Teyou was freed when the London chapter of International PEN agreed to pay his fine from its emergency fund in order that he might immediately seek medical treatment for his worsening condition. He is now receiving treatment. The chair of African literature at the University of Bayreuth
also offered to pay the expenses for La Belle de la république bananière to be reprinted in Germany.
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian author who was imprisoned from November 2010 to May 2011 on charges of insulting Chantal Biya
Chantal Biya
Chantal Biya is the First Lady of Cameroon. She was born in Dimako, East Province, to French expatriate Georges Vigouroux and Miss Doumé pageant winner Rosette Ndongo Mengolo. Chantal Biya spent her adolescence in Yaoundé.She married President Paul Biya on 23 April 1994, after his first wife,...
, the wife of President Paul Biya
Paul Biya
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...
in a recent book and for trying to hold a public reading of this book. In the book, La Belle de la république bananière : Chantal Biya, de la rue au palais (English: "The Belle of the Banana Republic: Chantal Biya, from the Streets to the Palace"), Teyou traces the Mrs. Biya's rise from ordinary origins to become the First Lady of Cameroon.
On 3 November 2010, Teyou was arrested at a hotel in Douala
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
where he had organized a book signing; copies of his book were seized and destroyed. On 10 November, he was tried by the High Court (Tribunal de première instance) in
Douala and found guilty of "insult to character" and organizing an "illegal demonstration". The court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of 2,030,150 CFA francs (approximately 4,425 US dollars). Because he could not pay the fine, he began serving his sentence in New Bell Prison in Douala.
The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
protested his trial and called for his immediate release. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
considered him to be a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
.
In February 2011, Teyou went on hunger strike to protest conditions in New Bell. On 8 March 2011, Le Jour
Le Jour
Le Jour was a Quebec independence newspaper. It was founded in Saint-Laurent, near Montreal, by Yves Michaud, Jacques Parizeau and René Lévesque. Michaud was editor-in-chief...
reported that Teyou had been hospitalized. Amnesty International also issued an "Urgent Action" over concerns for his declining health, stating, "He is said to suffer from heavy bleeding caused by acute haemorrhoids, reportedly exacerbated by poor prison diet. Overcrowding is a problem in Cameroonian prisons and the food is known to be of poor quality and inadequate." Amnesty International had previously described general conditions at New Bell as "often life-threatening".
In a March 2011 interview, Teyou described his motives for writing his book, saying, "We are entitled to rise against the injustice that is crippling our country. We cannot let evil go unquestioned... This book is the expression of my dissatisfaction with what is going on in Cameroon, especially the macabre system that gives Chantal Biya the leeway to treat people around her with extreme cruelty."
On 2 May 2011, Teyou was freed when the London chapter of International PEN agreed to pay his fine from its emergency fund in order that he might immediately seek medical treatment for his worsening condition. He is now receiving treatment. The chair of African literature at the University of Bayreuth
University of Bayreuth
The University of Bayreuth is a public research university situated in Bayreuth, Germany. It was founded in 1975 as a campus university focusing on international collaboration and interdisciplinarity...
also offered to pay the expenses for La Belle de la république bananière to be reprinted in Germany.