does your government care if you protest?

Ms. C, from Cameroon, testified as follows: "on June 5, 2008, I spoke with Mr. Lawrence Mbah on the telephone. Mr. Mbah works at the Embassy of Cameroon in Washington DC. I asked him if it is true that if 1] a person protests here in Washington against the government of Cameroon, that then 2] that person's family members in Cameroon will be arrested, harassed or attacked?

Mr. Mbah answered by saying that we should be mindful of our activities here in the USA because our family members will pay for what we say or do.

I then asked him: what would happen to me, if I protest here in USA and then return to Cameroon? He answered that we should be mindful of our activities here because we will later pay for what we say or do.
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What does your government embassy think, in the year 2009? can you find out what they think?