A video allegedly showing popular Cameroonian singer Simon Longkana Agno, commonly known as Longue Longue, being tortured has sparked widespread outrage in the country.
The artist, known for his hits on bad governance, colonialism and other social evils, said the video was made after he was arrested in 2019 but is only now being seen by the public.
Longue Longue shared it himself, but it’s unclear why it’s only now coming out or how he got it.
Cameroonian authorities have not yet commented.
Warning: This article contains a photo and descriptions of torture
In the video, Longue Longue’s hands are cuffed behind his back and he sits on the floor in his underwear while the soles of his bare feet are beaten with a flat machete.
Despite his desperate pleas to stop the beating, the men, who Longue Longue believes are security officers, continue.
The BBC has not been able to verify the video. We have tried to contact the singer without success.
On his Facebook page, he said he was arrested for his “freedom of thought” and vowed 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 elections.
The artist said opposition leader Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) was the deserved winner of the polls.
At the time, the Constitutional Council rejected Kamto’s demand for a rehearing due to alleged manipulation.
The opposition leader is among those who have denounced the apparent torture and called for an investigation into the incident.
“The CRM strongly condemns this state barbarity and demands the urgent opening of an investigation to arrest and immediately bring to justice the perpetrators of these inhumane acts,” Kamto said in a statement about X.
He added that the video is “reminiscent of the horrific treatment opposition activists faced during the 2019 crackdown, when hundreds of his supporters were arrested.
Renowned Cameroonian human rights lawyer Akere Muna said Longue Longue’s treatment was a “stark reminder of the depths of depravity to which humanity can descend.”
Rights groups have criticized the government for creating an “atmosphere of impunity” for members of the country’s security forces.
They have also accused authorities of cracking down on dissent ahead of next year’s presidential elections.
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