27 People, Including TV Station Owner Detained in Cameroon Over Death of Journalist
Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, the proprietor of Vision 4 TV in Douala, as well as 27 other people, including senior police officers, have been detained by Cameroonian security forces in connection with the murder of journalist Martinez Zogo in the Central African nation.
Last month, Zogo was kidnapped and killed by unidentified people.
Five days after being kidnapped in Yaounde near a police station, the radio host’s mangled body was discovered on January 22.
At a press conference on Wednesday in Douala, Marion Obam, the president of the Cameroon Journalists Trade Union, informed the media that Belinga and a member of his personal security detail had been detained at his home.
“On Monday, police seized seven more persons, including media tycoon Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, who was taken into custody at his residence in Yaounde,” he claimed.
“Several other journalists in Cameroon claim they have received death threats after the murders of Zogo and Bebe.
“No one would choose death. Journalists believe that the worst is yet to come when they are in motion.
“We even have some families who are already starting to suggest that their kids steer clear of journalism because it might lead them to suffer.
“Many journalists are expecting to see the government of Cameroon prosecute individuals who have caused this kind of suffering to the country’s media.”
