Photo shows Longue Longue in pain.
Cameroon’s Minister of defence, Betti Assomo has signed a release requesting for investigation following reports of a video purportedly showing popular Cameroonian singer Simon Longkana Agno, widely known as Longue Longue, being tortured allegedly by the military. The incident has since triggered widespread outrage and indignation in the country.
The artist, known for denouncing bad governance, colonialism, and other social ills in his music, said the video was taken after he was arrested in 2019, but this is the first time it has been made public.
The video circulating on social media shows Longue Longue sitting on the floor with hands cuffed behind his back.
On his Facebook page, he said he was arrested for his “freedom of thought”, and promised to file legal complaints in both Cameroon and France.
He was arrested in 2019 after posting a video saying that long-time President Paul Biya had rigged the 2018 election.
The artist said opposition leader, Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), was the rightful winner of the polls.
The opposition leader is among those to have denounced the apparent torture and has also called for an investigation into the incident. According to information, this video dates from 2019, the day after the 2018 presidential election, won by Paul Biya. The artist admits that he “was arrested at the Sawa Hotel by soldiers and tortured in the premises of the Military Security in Douala”.
Out of the country for some time, Barrister Akere Muna said he was horrified on the incident.
“I am deeply disturbed by the shocking video depicting the torture of the esteemed artist Longue Longue at the hands of people he identified as belonging to the Military Security. The inhumane treatment he endured is a stark reminder of the depths of depravity to which humanity can descend. It is unimaginable that fellow citizens could inflict such torment and even film it,” he wrote.
