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9 die in Eritrean jail - media
30/01/2008 21:05 - (SA)
Nairobi - At least nine political inmates have died in a secret Eritrean prison where they are routinely tortured using plastic whips, said Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday.
The media-rights group said an anonymous source detailed how detainees, including four journalists, were kept day and night under lights. Some were manacled and tortured, it said.
RSF said: "The prison camp, known as Eiraeiro, is a disgrace for Eritrea and Africa."
Asmara routinely denies criticism from foreign-based rights groups, accusing them of acting on behalf of some world powers.
Information Minister Ali Abdu says the government will not respond to "each stupid comment" by groups such as RSF.
20 minutes a week to bathe
The press freedom organisation called the prison on Eritrea's eastern coastline an "African gulag" and "daily hell".
It said the prisoners' heads were shaved every two months and they were allowed only 20 minutes a week to bathe.
Late last year, RSF called Eritrea the worst nation in the world for press freedom.
Lacking independent media and often accused of harassing journalists, Eritrea is consistently ranked among the world's top violators of press freedom by rights groups.
- Reuters
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