Many countries still condemn same-sex relationships. In Cameroon, a man was convicted of sending a simple SMS on his cell phone to his partner.
Because of the message "I feel so much love for you", Jean-Claude Roger Mbédé will have to spend three years in prison.
The country sentences anyone who has sexual relations with people of the same sex with sentences of six months to five years. In the coming days, an appeal on the case will be heard by Cameroon's supreme court.
In December 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published the first official UN report on violence and discrimination against the LGBT population. The report indicated that more than 76 countries still criminalize gay and lesbian relationships.
