Seventeen individuals, among them a prominent businessman and a former secret service chief, are set to face trial in Cameroon for the abduction and murder of renowned journalist Martinez Zogo early last year, as revealed by court documents obtained by French media on Saturday.
Arsene Salomon Mbani Zogo, also known as “Martinez,” was discovered brutally mutilated a few days following his abduction in front of a police station outside the capital Yaounde, Cameroon, on January 17, 2023.
The 50-year-old radio reporter and former director of radio Amplitude FM was well-known for hosting the popular daily program “Embouteillage” (Gridlock).
Martinez was recognized for his outspoken criticism of alleged corruption and cronyism in Cameroon, often directly naming government officials.
The Yaoundé military court in Cameroon announced on Friday the conclusion of its judicial investigation, stating that “sufficient charges against the indicted” warranted closing the judicial inquiry and proceeding to trial.
Although the trial date is yet to be confirmed, the suspects, including influential businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, owner of Anecdote Media Group, will face trial.
Belinga, who was arrested two weeks after Martinez’s murder, has been accused of complicity in torture, a charge his lawyer Charles Tchoungang described as fabricated. Maxime Leopold Eko Eko, former head of Cameroon’s DGRE counter-espionage agency, is also slated for trial on charges of complicity in torture, while the DGRE’s operations director, Justin Danwe, faces charges of complicity in murder.
International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) assert that the regime of President Paul Biya, aged 91, who has maintained a firm grip on power for over 41 years, systematically suppresses opposition voices.
Many Cameroonians harbor concerns that justice may never be served in a country where press freedom is ranked low, with Reporters Without Borders placing it at 118th out of 180.
Following the release of both Belinga and Eko Eko from detention without clear explanation in December, a third investigative judge was appointed to oversee the case.
Human Rights Watch, a rights group, highlights ongoing restrictions on freedom of expression in Cameroon, citing the deaths of three independent journalists in the country last year.