Two men sentenced to five years in prison for "looking gay" were ordered released by a court of appeals in Cameroon after serving over a year behind bars.

Human rights advocates say the men were targeted by guard and other prisoners who abused them over their alleged homosexuality.

Sketchy local reports claim Singa Kimie and Ndjome Francky were arrested in the country's capital Yaoundé in July of 2011 for wearing "effeminate" clothing and ordering a "gay" drink — Bailey's Irish Cream.

They were also said to have been wearing a "wig" and speaking in a "feminine" manner.

Gay rights advocates have long pressed Cameroon president Paul Biya to temper the country's notoriously harsh anti-gay laws.

Though Monday's ruling was welcomed by many, it came on the heels of an appeals court decision to uphold the five-year sentence of Roger Jean-Claude Mbede who was jailed for texting the words "I'm very much in love with you" to a man.

[photo via Arbroath]