Cameroon: 38 young prisoners regain freedom after paying body penalties

In Bafoussam, 38 young detainees walked free after struggling to pay court-imposed financial penalties. The Françoise Puene Freedom Foundation, an NGO dedicated to legal aid, covered these body penalties—a key factor in Cameroon’s prison overcrowding.

This marks the eighth year the foundation has intervened since 2014, offering financial support to indigent inmates aged 16 to 28, enabling their release.

« Across Cameroon, we’ve noticed that prisons like Bafoussam’s central facility are overcrowded, particularly with young people—many between 17 and 28 years old, » explains Françoise Puene, the foundation’s president.

The issue stems from Cameroon’s penal code, which requires inmates to settle financial penalties or restitutions before release, even after serving their sentences.

« Our prisons are overcrowded because some detainees can’t afford these penalties, trapping them indefinitely, » admits Adray Epente Tazeu, regional governor’s office secretary general.

« I’m relieved they paid for me, » shares Efred Ngayeu, a former inmate who spent nine months behind bars—two more than his original sentence due to unpaid penalties.

The penalties for these 38 detainees ranged from 40,000 to 150,000 CFA francs (about €60–228), covering court-ordered restitutions or fines.