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Johannesburg -Amnesty International says three young men in Cameroon have been jailed for 10 years for sharing a text message that joked about the Boko Haram extremist group.

A statement released on Wednesday by the human rights group said Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor and Azah Levis Gob were sentenced by the Military Court of Yaounde for “non-denunciation of terrorist acts”.

Amnesty says Ivo had forwarded to the other two men a text message that made a sarcastic reference to the extremist group, which is based in neighbouring Nigeria. Boko Haram also has carried out attacks inside Cameroon.

The rights group calls for the three men’s unconditional release, saying they were exercising their right to freedom of expression. It also raises concerns about trials of civilians in military courts. – AFP