Lewis Medjo is a Cameroonian journalist who was managing editor of the weekly newspaper La Détente Libre, until his detention in September 2008. Mr. Medjo was known for his reporting on human rights and good governance issues.  Because his reporting was often critical of the Cameroonian government, he and his family were frequently harassed.

In 2008, Mr. Medjo published several articles that were negatively received by the Cameroonian government. On August 7, 2008, it was an article entitled "Thunderbolt at the Supreme Court: Biya Fires Dipanda Mouelle" that he published, but did not write, that led to his arrest. The article speculated that President Paul Biya was compromising the independent of the judiciary by forcing out Supreme Court President Alexis Dipanda Mouelle from his position. The story was based on a presidential decree that did not extend Mr. Mouelle's term. Despite the allegation made in the article, Mr. Mouelle remained on the Supreme Court.

On September 22, 2008, Mr. Medjo attended a dinner at the Akwa Palace Hotel in Douala, Cameroon, that was hosted by the government's representative for the urban community. As he left the hotel at 11 p.m., the chief of the provincial "plain-clothes police" arrested and detained him at the local police station. On September 26, the government transferred him to New Bell Prison in Douala. After a number of postponements, the court convicted him on January 7, 2009, of "spreading false news" and sentenced him to three years in prison and a fine of two million CFA francs (U.S. $4,500) - a substantial amount of money in Cameroon. 

During his more than two years in the prison, Mr. Medjo's health deteriorated gravely. He had several heart attacks and suffered from chronic respiratory attacks, severe dental problems, and an ear infection that left him deaf in his right ear.

New Bell Prison is known for its especially harsh and life-threatening conditions. In a 2008 report, Action of Christians for the Abolition of Torture characterized New Bell Prison as "hell on earth." It was originally built to hold 800 inmates, but now holds more than 2,800. The prison does not provide adequate food or medical care for prisoners. Inmates are often beaten and chained. And the prison only has seven water taps for the entire prison population. The acute shortage of water and poor sanitation contribues to poor hygiene, illness, and death.

Freedom Now worked to help free Mr. Medjo from his arbitrary detention that violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, African Charter for Human and Peoples' Rights, and Cameroonian protections for freedom of expression.  We privately intervened on his behalf by participating with a number of private initiatives through the United Nations and with members of the U.S. Senate, especially Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL).

During a visit of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Cameroon in June 2010, President Biya issued a presidential amnesty freeing him from prison.

Lewis Medjo is currently receiving medical treatment and hopes to relaunch his newspaper, which the government closed while he was imprisoned.

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