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CAMPAIGN NEWS
25 January 2010

Cameroon / USA:
American lawyers prepare UN petition for Lapiro de Mbanga

A team of four lawyers from a law firm in the United States are preparing a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. They argue that by keeping Lapiro de Mbanga imprisoned, Cameroon is violating international law.

The lawyers are working pro bono with Freedom Now.

The office of a US senator, Richard Durbin, has become very interested in Lapiro de Mbanga’s case and is eager to help get him released. Senator Durbin’s office has been reaching out to the Cameroon Embassy in the US.

Meanwhile, petitions made by Freemuse, Mondomix and Vigier Guitars will be handed over to the Embassy of Cameroon in Paris during Music Freedom Day on 3 March 2010.

Lapiro has received support from all over the world. When he received the Imprisoned Artist Freedom to Create Prize in November last year a new interest in his case was generated at home in Cameroon, where several newspapers reported on the prize.

Mondomix released a CD in support of Lapiro on 1 January 2010. Downloading of the CD is linked to signing the petition. Read more...

The song that made all the problems for Lapiro, entitled ‘Constitution Constipée’, is included in the new Freemuse CD: ‘Listen to the banned.’ Read more...

The song was censored in Cameroon but is still popular with the people opposing the present regime and its lack of respect of freedom of expression and human rights.


Click to read more about Lapiro de Mbanga
The news about Lapiro's award on the front page
of the Cameroon newspaper The Post
 Click to read more about Lapiro de Mbanga's case
 Lapiro
 de Mbanga 
 




Click to see video
Video: See Lapiro's comment on his situation in prison, and his cause






Click to read more about the album
Mondomix compilation album: 'Free Lapiro'




Click to go to freedom-now.org
 Freedom Now

Eden Newspaper – 4 February 2010:
'International Music Stars, Civil Society Push For Lapiro's Liberation'


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Related reading on freemuse.org

Cameroon: Lapiro back in court
Singer Lapiro de Mbanga has filed a case against the Chief Medical Officer of the Douala Central Prison for having denied him access to medical attention while in prison
20 June 2011
Cameroon: First video interview after Lapiro's release from prison
On 8 May 2011 Freemuse recorded singer Lapiro de Mbanga's first video interview since he was released from prison in Douala on 8 April after three years imprisonment
08 May 2011
Cameroon: Singer Lapiro de Mbanga released from prison
Singer Lapiro de Mbanga was released from New Bell Prison in Douala on Friday 8 April 2011 at 2 pm after three years imprisonment under harsh conditions
08 April 2011
Cameroon: Lapiro appears at the Supreme Court
On Thursday 17 March 2011, the musician Lapiro de Mbanga was called to the Cameroon Supreme Court for what appeared to be superflous technicalities
24 March 2011
Cameroon: Freemuse visits Lapiro in prison
After years of international campaigning, Freemuse finally managed to have a personal meeting with Lapiro de Mbanga who has been imprisoned in Cameroon since 2008
17 March 2011
Cameroon: Lapiro receives award on Music Freedom Day
On Music Freedom Day, 3 March 2011, Freemuse visited Cameroon and handed over a much awaited award to the imprisoned singer Lapiro de Mbanga
09 March 2011
Music Freedom Day: Local ownership creates diversity of innovative events
Music Freedom Day 2011: An exiled DJ returns to Kabul, music is smuggled out from Burma, and Freemuse hands over an award to an imprisoned singer in Cameroon
09 March 2011
Radio Without Borders: Listen to the Banned
Here on Earth - Radio Without Borders, a one-hour live programme on Wisconsin Public Radio broadcasted a special feature programme about the album ‘Listen to the banned’
10 November 2010
Cameroon: Lapiro - behind bars in Cameroon, behind a mic in Brooklyn
Singer Lapiro de Mbanga joins by phone from jail in Cameroon as U.S. Afro-pop band performs his banned song live in New York
28 October 2010
Cameroon: Interview with singer Lapiro de Mbanga in ‘Smashed Hits 2.0’
In ‘Smashed Hits 2.0’, Cameroonian singer Lapiro de Mbanga gives an exclusive interview to Daniel Brown from prison on protest, politics and the art of satire
25 October 2010
Cameroon: Musicians are silent after Lapiro’s imprisonment
The fact that Lapiro is in prison for his music has discouraged other artists in the country to create any kind of innovative projects or critical song lyrics
20 October 2010
Cameroon: Lapiro fires back at Minister of Communication
Lapiro de Mbanga, imprisoned since 2008 retaliates at Minister of Communication who on 30 July 2010 announced that Cameroon did not host any political prisoners
30 August 2010
Songlines review of Freemuse CD: ‘It is Top of the World’
Songlines, an influential UK-based world music magazine, has chosen the CD ‘Listen to the banned’ as Top of the World in their August 2010 issue
11 August 2010
Cameroon: International Pen and Freemuse in joint appeal for Lapiro
African Human Rights bodies and monitoring systems are urged to act on behalf of Cameroonian singer Lapiro de Mbanga
30 June 2010
Cameroon/Denmark: Danish minister drawn into Lapiro de Mbanga's case
Danish politicians demand investigation of financial support to company accused of inhuman working conditions and co-responsibility for the imprisonment of singer Lapiro
22 June 2010
Cameroon: Lapiro de Mbanga’s legal team files petition to United Nations
On 16 June 2010, the international legal team for singer Lapiro de Mbanga filed an urgent action petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
18 June 2010
Cameroon: United Nations secretary-general urged to speak up for Lapiro
Freedom Now, a US-based lawyers’ advocacy organisation urges secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, to request that President Biya releases Lapiro de Mbanga
09 June 2010
Cameroon: Maersk Group accused for involvement in case against Lapiro
A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, the worldwide conglomerate operating in around 130 countries, is accused for being partly responsible for the imprisonment of singer Lapiro
26 May 2010
Cameroon: International PEN releases new protest campaign for Lapiro
The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN has launched a new protest campaign for the continuing imprisonment of singer-songwriter Lapiro de Mbanga
28 April 2010
Cameroon: Lapiro de Mbanga honoured at Cameroon Music Awards
Organisers of the Cameroon music and cultural awards, Canal D'Or, have honoured jailed singer Lapiro de Mbanga with a Life Time Achievement Award
28 April 2010