Protecting Victims/Witnesses in Criminal Justice : Lawyers Upgrade Skills

Lawyers and Magistrates from the South West region of Cameroon are currently meeting in Douala for a two-day workshop aimed at improving on the protection of victims and witnesses in criminal proceedings in the South West Region, which is currently in the grip of the security crisis. This is the first phase of a series of upcoming workshops with specific objectives to strengthen the capacity of magistrates and lawyers from the South West region and Douala on the legal and institutional framework for the protection of the rights of victims in criminal processes and also to encourage the sharing of experiences and promote good practices on victim protection.
During the opening of the workshop in Douala on October 11, the Procurer general in the Littoral court of appeal Jean Claude Robert Foe said Cameroon is party to several human rights international and regional conventions. It continues to express its commitment to human rights through its active and constant cooperation with the mechanisms and bodies for the promotion and protection of human rights. He added that among the human rights guaranteed by these legal instruments is the right to a fair trial, which guarantees every person a right to effective and continuous access to justice, the right to have a case investigated by a competent and impartial tribunal established by law, the right to adequate time and facilities to prepare one’s defense, the right to be tried without undue delay and have the judgment rendered within a reasonable time, as well as the right to appeal against the decision rendered.  He added that it is against ...