Two transgender women have been sentenced to five years in prison in Cameroon for ‘attempted homosexuality’.
A local social media celebrity known as Shakiro, who is also identified as Loic Njeukam, and Patricia, also identified as Roland Mouthe, were jailed on Tuesday for a variety of offences.
They were first arrested for the clothes they were wearing in a restaurant, their lawyers said. 
Two transgender women including social media star Shakiro (pictured) have been sentenced to five years in prison in Cameroon for ‘attempted h’
Shakiro, who is also identified as Loic Njeukam, and Patricia, also identified as Roland Mouthe, were jailed on Tuesday (pictured together)
Human rights activists say their detention is part of the growing criminalization of sexual minorities and transgender people in Cameroon.
READ MORE: Alleged corruption by school heads poses security threat to country – Security expert
The two received the maximum sentence of five years in prison and fines of 200,000 CFA francs (£260), their lawyers told Reuters.
Besides ‘attempted homosexuality,’ they were convicted of public indecency and failing to carry identification.
‘This is a political decision,’ said one of the lawyers, Alice Nkom, who vowed to appeal the verdict. 
Human rights activists say their detention is part of the growing criminalization of sexual minorities and transgender people in Cameroon. Pictured: Shak
Besides ‘attempted homosexuality,’ they were convicted of public indecency and failing to carry identification
‘It’s Yaounde (the central government) that said these people must not bring homosexuality to Cameroon.’
READ MORE: #FixTheCountry is a political innovation that calls for consultation – Allotey Jacobs
A government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cameroon is one of more than 30 African countries where same-sex relations are illegal. 
Alice Nkom, a lawyer representing members of the country’s LGBT community, said the verdict is a ‘political decision’
Its courts have previously sentenced people to multi-year prison sentences for their alleged homosexuality.
Human Rights Watch said last month that Shakiro and Patricia’s arrests seemed to be part of ‘an overall uptick in police action’ against sexual minorities.
Fifty-three people have been arrested in raids on HIV and AIDS organizations since May 2020, with some reporting having been beaten and subjected to forced ‘anal examinations’ to confirm accusations of homosexuality, the rights group said.
