Outrage has continued to greet the murder, on Monday, of famous Cameroonian LGBT and AIDS Activist Eric Ohena Lembembe.

The United States of America in a statement by Department of State Spokesperson Marie Harf deplored the brutal murder of Lembembe, who was found tortured to death in his home in Yaoundé.

“We condemn this terrible act in the strongest terms and urge the Cameroonian authorities to thoroughly and promptly investigate and prosecute those responsible for his death,” the US said.

The latest condemnation came late yesterday from Germany’s Human Rights Commissioner Markus Löning, who said in a statement: “I am deeply shocked and saddened by the violent death of Eric Ohena Lembembe. He fought for human rights with great courage. He stood up in Cameroon to publicly criticise violence targeting gay, lesbian and transgender people.

This killing needs to be subject to proper investigation and criminal prosecution. There can be no impunity – on the contrary, the Government of Cameroon has an obligation to take action against hatred and homophobia and to protect those who stand up for human rights.”

Lembembe, who was the Executive Director of Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), an organisation dedicated to the fight against AIDS and for the human rights of LGBT people in Cameroon, was found tortured and killed in his home, amid claims the authorities have systematically ignored similar attacks in the country.

The body of Eric Ohena Lembembe, an activist and journalist in the capital Yaoundé, was discovered by friends on Monday night. They had been unable to reach him by phone for several days.

Witnesses told civil rights organisation Human Rights Watch, which has also condemned the killing and called for its investigation, that they could see Lembembe’s body lying on the bed through the window. When the police arrived and broke down the door, they found his feet broken, and his face, hands and feet burned.

Just two weeks ago, Lembembe spoke out against the recent break-ins at the offices of groups advocating for gay rights. The local office of one organisation, Alternatives-Cameroun, was set on fire on June 26.

In his last blog post before he died, Mr. Lembembe – who recently contributed to a 55-page report on prosecutions of gay people in Cameroon – described attacks on gay and lesbian groups, and criticised the lack of action by the authorities to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators.

•Photo shows late Lembembe.

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