CAMEROON: FOMUSOH IVO FEH
Locked up for an SMS.
Fomusoh Ivo Feh was just about to start university when an SMS message changed everything.
One day, he forwarded a sarcastic text to a friend.
The message joked that even Boko Haram (an armed group), wouldn’t hire you unless you passed five high school subjects.
That text got Ivo arrested. Now he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Fomusoh Ivo Feh had a bright future ahead of him. He was just about to start university in Cameroon, where he lives. But an SMS message changed everything.
One day, Ivo received a text message from a friend, saying: “Boko Haram recruits young people from 14 years old and above. Conditions for recruitment: 4 subjects at GCE, including religion”.
His friend’s message was a comment on how difficult it is to find a good job without being highly qualified – joking that even Boko Haram (an armed group) won’t take you unless you’ve passed five high school subjects.
Ivo forwarded the message to a friend, who sent it to a friend in secondary school. A teacher saw the text, having confiscated the phone, and showed it to the police. Ivo, his friend and the young student were all arrested sometime between September and December 2014.
The charges against them include trying to organize a rebellion against the state. Right now, they are in prison facing a trial in a military court and a 20-year prison sentence.
Demand that Excellency Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon, let Ivo go.
President of the Republic of Cameroon
His Excellency Paul Biya
Cameroon
Your Excellency,
I urge you to release Fomusoh Ivo Feh and his friends, without delay.
They stand accused of plotting to organize a rebellion against the state and face up to 20 years in jail – all because they shared a joke SMS message with each other.
Please don’t make them pay with their futures for this.
Yours sincerely,
