( CNN ) -- A Cameroon appeals court has acquitted two men found guilty of homosexuality because they wore women 's clothes and ordered a cream-based liqueur , according to rights groups . Jonas Kimie and Franky Ndome were arrested outside a nightclub and sentenced to five years in prison in November 2011 . `` The acquittal of two Cameroonian men jailed for looking gay because they wore women 's clothes exposes the systematic discrimination against perceived homosexuals in the country , '' Amnesty International said in a statement . The conviction was based on stereotypes because authorities never saw them engage in homosexual acts , according to their lawyer . `` The judge who originally sentenced them had stated that the way they dressed , the way they spoke , and the fact that they drank Bailey 's Irish Cream proved they were gay , '' their lawyer , Alice N'Kom , told global gay rights group All Out , which launched a petition demanding the men 's release . The court overturned the conviction Monday , but it was unclear whether they have left prison . Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon , where sodomy laws were introduced during colonialism . Sentences for homosexual acts vary between six months to five years . Rights groups applauded the ruling , but called on the nation to free others imprisoned under anti-gay laws . Last month , a Cameroon appeals court upheld a three-year sentence against a man convicted of homosexuality for texting his male friend to say , `` I 'm very much in love with you . '' The university student was arrested in 2011 after the man who received the message tipped off authorities . Authorities in the west African nation were not immediately available for comment . A series of countries have criminalized homosexuality , but prosecutions are rare . In Uganda , homosexual acts are punishable by 14 years to life , but lawmakers are trying to introduce a bill that toughens the law .
The men were sentenced in November 2011 . Group : The judge stated they were homosexuals because they wore women 's clothes and drank Bailey 's Irish Cream . In 2011 , a court sentenced both to five years in prison . Title: Why do we have so many different types of music?