In January this year, a report from Amnesty International highlighted the violence (including torture), arbitrary arrests and unlawful detentions which the authorities in Cameroon have used to silence political activists.

The report says that the Cameroonian authorities have arbitrarily arrested and unlawfully detained members of the SCNC in violation of their right to peaceful assembly and association.

Rhetta Moran, spokesperson for RAPAR, said: “Lydia and Bernard’s case is a basic human rights issue.

“In addition, it symbolises everything that is wrong about the way the UK’s asylum system treats people.

“The Border and Immigration Agency is playing cat and mouse with people’s lives. The only just thing for them to do is to release Lydia immediately.”