Cameroon man attacked after friend posted private photos of him and his husband online
The mother of the victim was also attacked and her house was destroyed after the images emerged
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A man from Cameroon living in Seattle was attacked after private pictures of him and his husband were posted online.
According to reports, the victim’s former house guest posted intimate photos of him and his husband to a members of the region’s Cameroon community and two men attacked the victim outside his home in October.
Furthermore, the victim’s mother, who still lives in Cameroon, was also assaulted and her house was destroyed.
Same-sex sexual activity is still illegal in the African country and people can face up to five years in prison or even vigilante executions.
After reporting the alleged hate crime to police the day after the attack, the victim told officers he had let a female friend from his native country stay with him and his husband when she moved to Seattle.
He confided in her that he is gay and the woman is reported to have “constantly told him he needed to change from being gay”.
She then started releasing his private photos and also stole his mobile and sent text messages and photos of the couple to the victim’s relatives before posting them onto various social media platforms.
Although charging papers reveal she has moved to Washington, she has yet to be arrested.
Following the attack, The Seattle Times reported that Christian Djoko, of Bothell, and Rodrigue Fodio-Kamden, of Lynnwood, were both charged with malicious harassment.
The two men attacked the victim outside his home and assaulted him because of his sexual orientation, charging papers reported.
Fodio-Kamden was arrested on November 3 and spent two days in jail before he posted bail and Djoko, who was arrested on November 17, remains in jail with a lieu of $50,000 bail.