Multiple upheavals following the lenient verdict for Diane Yangwo's murderous husband

Esther Nyacke Ntah

Community Manager and ambassador WWO, French-speaking Africa Zone

"52,000 CFA francs (79 euros) is the modest fine set for your executioner" was the slogan chanted by the women of Cameroon on 4 April 2025 following the verdict against Eric Bekobe for beating his wife Diane Yangwo to death.

On 18 November 2023, the media reported with dismay the death of Mrs Diane Yangwo, a secondary school teacher, following the beating of her husband, Mr Eric Bekobe, a bank employee.

Several versions of the facts were relayed when the death of this woman was announced. The version that reached us stresses that Mrs Diane Yangwo was hospitalised in a clinic with her sick child. Then one day, her husband arrived at the hospital in a rage and dragged her into an empty room to have a chat. But the couple's temper flared. No doubt exasperated by his wife's reproaches, Mr Bekobe finally laid a hand on her. He hit her so hard that Diane collapsed after their argument. Although taken urgently to hospital, Mrs Bekobe died and the clinical diagnosis indicated that her death was caused by internal haemorrhaging caused by violent blows. On hearing of Diane's death, Mr Bekobe was immediately remanded in custody on charges of fatal blows to his wife.

In February 2025, Mr Eric Bekobe pleaded guilty at a hearing at the Douala High Court. Following this confession, all the victim's supporters were convinced that Mr Bekobe would receive a heavy sentence, especially as Article 221 of the Criminal Code provides for 30 years' imprisonment for anyone who voluntarely takes the life of another. But on 1 April 2025, much to everyone's surprise, female Judge Dany L'or Medou gave Eric Bekobe a suspended sentence of five years' imprisonment and a fine of just 52,000 CFA francs. This sentence means that Ms Diane Yangwo's murderer will simply be acquitted. The judgement, which was a little too lenient for a murder case, immediately sparked a wave of protest across the country.

The advertising slogan of the Cameroonian Coalition against violence against women and girls

Protest movements

After the verdict by Magistrate Dany L’or Medou in the Yangwo case, many women expressed their indignation, arguing that the judgement was too lenient on the murderer. What's more, they feel that the verdict shows how lightly the Cameroonian justice system treats the issue of violence against women. Outraged by this gross disregard for the suffering of women, the writer Djaïli Amadou Amal, renowned for her defence of women's rights, immediately contacted the President of the Republic of Cameroon, via the Minister of Justice, to demand a fairer judgement for Ms Diane Yangwo. Reagarding the Cameroonian female musician Kareyce Fotso, she urged all women in couples to put their well-being and safety first: "It is better to live alone and in safety than to remain in a dangerous situation", she proclaimed. For its part, the Cameroon Coalition Opposing Violence Against Women decided to organise a day of protest in memory of Diane Yangwo. On Friday 4 April 2025, the members of this movement stood up to the Cameroonian authorities to demand fairer justice for Diane Yangwo and denounce the denial of violence against women in our country. In addition to the protests, a petition was launched on social networks calling for the dismissal of magistrate Medou Dany L'or.

What about feminicide in Cameroon?

The verdict handed down in the Diane Yangwo case on 1April 2025 is proof that the Cameroonian justice system is still trivialising issues of violence against women. Yet human rights groups, and in particular the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and Family (Minproff), maintain that the feminicide rate is rising in Cameroon. According to Minproff, nearly 80 cases of feminicide were recorded between January and May 2023 in Cameroon. Association for the Fight Against Violence Towards Women (Association de lutte contre les violences faites aux femmes ALVFF) added that this figure was much higher than that for 2022. This increase in the mistreatment of women is worrying women in Cameroon, especially as the law protecting women victims of violence has not yet been put in place. All that remains is to hope that the clamour generated by the Diane Yangwo affair finally prompts the Ministry of Justice to adopt a code against violence towards women.