[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 503 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 503
Condemning the actions taken by the Government of Cameroon against
Henry Fossung and others, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 19, 2005
Mr. McCotter submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the actions taken by the Government of Cameroon against
Henry Fossung and others, and for other purposes.
Whereas Henry Fossung is a highly regarded statesman and national chairman of
the Southern Cameroons National Council, the motto of which is ``The
Force of Argument, Not the Argument of Force'';
Whereas Henry Fossung served as Cameroon's ambassador to the Central Africa
Republic, Chad Republic, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone;
Whereas Ambassador Fossung is highly educated, with a masters degree in
international law/relations from the American University in Washington,
D.C. and degrees from Blackstone School of Law, Johns Hopkins
University, and the Institute of Higher Overseas Studies, and has
lectured at Brown University, among other notable institutions;
Whereas Ambassador Fossung has served on numerous international committees and
conferences, including the United Nations Committee on Disarmament and
Law of the Sea, has countless decorations and honors to his credit, and
has authored several books and articles;
Whereas on January 15, 2005, under the direction of the Divisional Officer for
Buea and the Provincial Delegate for National Security, more than 200
members of the Government of the Republic of Cameroon's militia and
police surrounded, fired their weapons at, and invaded the residence of
Ambassador Fossung and arrested Ambassador Fossung and his houseguests,
including women who were cooking food at the time, a 2-year-old toddler,
and elderly and disabled individuals;
Whereas Ambassador Fossung and his guests were taken into custody and detained
in a government facility for up to 2 days;
Whereas the Divisional Officer told Ambassador Fossung that he was arrested for
hosting a gathering of more than 2 people without permission from the
Government of the Republic of Cameroon;
Whereas there was no warrant of criminal charges issued to Ambassador Fossung or
the others arrested;
Whereas 6 members of the militia knocked Ambassador Fossung to the ground,
stripped him naked, and dragged and kicked him, causing severe injury,
including a permanent injury to his left eye, a fractured ankle, and
head and groin injuries;
Whereas several of the other detainees were also beaten or mistreated;
Whereas Ambassador Fossung and his guests were held in 2 small cells with over
50 other prisoners, with no drinking water and no toilet, and were
denied medical treatment and food for up to 1\1/2\ days;
Whereas Ambassador Fossung's residence was vandalized and looted by the militia
and police and thousands of copies of books and other writings were
seized and destroyed, while Ambassador Fossung and his family were held
against their will;
Whereas the militia and police confiscated money, jewelry, and ball-point pens
belonging to the detainees, and extorted bribes from visitors attempting
to bring food to the detainees;
Whereas Ambassador Fossung's dog also fell victim to the brutality of the
militia and police;
Whereas these actions of the Government of the Republic of Cameroon constitute
gross and reprehensible violations of international law and basic human
rights;
Whereas the Government of the Republic of Cameroon continues to harass and
intimidate Ambassador Fossung and members of the Southern Cameroons
National Council and to purge the country of all political dissent;
Whereas any citizen of the Republic of Cameroon who dares to speak critically of
the reigning government lives in fear of persecution, torture, and
assassination; and
Whereas there are numerous documented accounts of citizens of the Republic of
Cameroon being imprisoned, beaten, and murdered for political reasons:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) strongly condemns the actions taken by the Government
of the Republic of Cameroon against Ambassador Henry Fossung,
his family, his house guests, and the members of the Southern
Cameroons National Council;
(2) affirms that the United States continues to hold the
Government of the Republic of Cameroon responsible for
upholding all the rights of its citizens and nationals,
regardless of political views or beliefs;
(3) urges the Government of the Republic of Cameroon to
extend to all Cameroon's citizens, including political
dissidents, Ambassador Fossung, and the Southern Cameroons
National Council, the rights guaranteed by the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations and other
international covenants on human rights, including the freedoms
of thought, conscience, and religion and equal protection of
the law;
(4) calls upon the President of the United States to
continue to--
(A) assert the concerns of the United States
Government regarding violations by the Government of
the Republic of Cameroon of the rights of Cameroon's
citizens, including Ambassador Fossung and members of
the Southern Cameroons National Council;
(B) emphasize that the United States regards the
human rights practices of the Government of the
Republic of Cameroon, including its treatment of
political dissidents such as Ambassador Fossung and
innocent civilians, as having a negative impact on the
relations between the United States and the Republic of
Cameroon;
(C) urge the Government of the Republic of Cameroon
to emancipate members of the Southern Cameroons
National Council by granting those rights guaranteed by
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United
Nations and other international covenants on human
rights;
(D) cooperate with international organizations,
including the United Nations and its agencies, in
efforts to protect the human rights of freedom of
thought and speech of all citizens and nationals of
Cameroon, through joint appeals to the Government of
the Republic of Cameroon; and
(E) initiate an active and consistent dialogue with
other governments that are influential with the
Government of the Republic of Cameroon in order to
persuade that government to rectify its human rights
practices.
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