Cameroon: 25 Boko Haram suspects dead
YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Cameroon acknowledged that more than two dozen Boko Haram suspects died in custody late last year, but a government spokesman denied the country’s army was carrying out regular human-rights abuses in its crackdown on the Nigerian Islamic extremist group.
The 25 suspects were found dead in their cell one day after being arrested in December, Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in a news conference. They were part of a group of 56 detainees, and the cause of their deaths is still being determined, he said.
“I can already state here that at this stage of investigation, no evidence has been established to corroborate that these persons were deliberately killed,” Bakary said.
He added that a senior military official had been removed from his post, and he was being investigated over the deaths, though he did not identify this person by name.
Russian gay law shutters IKEA online
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Ikea, the world’s largest furniture retailer, says it is halting its online magazine in Russia out of fears it violates the country’s law banning promotion of same-sex gay values to minors.
The Swedish retailer says its online magazine IKEA Family Live “demonstrates various aspects of home life regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation.”
In a Russian language statement, IKEA said, “We understand that some publications in our magazine can be considered as propaganda,” adding it had decided “to stop the publication of the magazine in Russia.”
The law passed in 2013 bans promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to people younger than 18.
Associated Press
