The citizen of Cameroon was detained before a match allegedly for falsification of documents.
The migration service of Minsk-2 airport detained him on a suspension of passport forgery. Viasna human rights group received a letter from the detainee's girlfriend Spaniard Inmaculada Gonzalez, who asked the human rights activists to clear up the fate of the Cameroonian.
She writes that Guy Francois Toukam has a residence permit in Spain, but received a proposal was play futsal in a NOrvegian club IOF (Oslo). The team arrived in Minsk on June 1 for a match at UEFA Futsal Championship cup series. The player was detained at the airport by militia because his passport looked very old. I know exactly was passport is valid, as Toukam applied to the Emabssy of Cameroon in Madrid in early summer 2009 and extended the passport until 2011. I need your help to find my friend. I need to know where he is, in what conditions he is. I ask you to learn about his health and tell me, and help to defend his rights for legal protection and fair trial. Please, help me! Inmaculada Gonzalez."
The human rights activist found out that Guy Francois Toukam is really in custody in Minsk suspected of passport forgery. A request from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the embassy of Cameroon in Moscow, the nearest country's embassy, was sent to identify his personality. The Embassy hasn't replied yet.
On June 4, teams "Okhrana Minsk" (Minsk) and IOF (Oslo) played a match as part of the XX UEFS Champions Cup. The Belarusian won 10-1. Goalkeeper Guy Francois Toukam couldn't take part in the match, as he was in jail in Akrestsin Street.
Human rights defender Valyantsin Stefanovich knows the situation and describes administrative detention of foreigners as a great problem for them:
"People can stay in special dentition facilities for some months. Conditions there are equal for all inmates, both Belarusians and foreigners. The center of isolation of offenders is known for very bad conditions. Foreigners often don't know languages, don't have legal assistance. They are left alone with their problems, their embassies can be situated ten of thousands of kilometers. In such cases, the Belarusian services had to wait so long for official confirmation of personality and financial ability. This is really a big problem, because Belarusian human rights activists do not have access to detention facilities and are not able to render qualified legal assistance."
Considering how awful it can be to be isolated in a foreign country, without legal assistance, necessary things, friends, and knowledge of the country's language, the human rights activists passed the detainee health aids, office supplies, drinking water, which is allowed by the legislation. They also reached his friends in Spain in order the Embassy of Cameroon in Spain could accelerate replying to the request of the Belarusian Ministry.
Source: Charter'97 :: News from Belarus
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