Journalists detained during prison visit
2013-01-17 09:46
Video
2013-01-08 08:41
At least nine warders and 50 prisoners were injured when inmates torched a section of the Groenpunt prison in the Free State.WATCH
Bloemfontein - Free State prison officials detained
journalists, confiscated their equipment and deleted photographs of warders
assaulting a prisoner, according to reports on Thursday.
This was all during a visit on Wednesday by Parliament's
portfolio committee on correctional services to the Groenpunt maximum security
prison outside Deneysville in the Free State, where inmates rioted last week.
The media was invited to accompany the committee, reported
The Star and The Times newspapers.
During the visit, journalists witnessed prison warders
beating a prisoner.
Assault
"Through the fence, we saw a mob of warders assaulting
a man dressed in orange garb - apparently a defenceless prisoner - who squirmed
and groaned in pain," reported The Star journalists.
"We saw them passing the man around in a circle,
brutally beating him."
News photographers took pictures as it happened.
"Then they took him [the prisoner] away, and came for
us. What happened next was an hour-long traumatic experience that left us
feeling like terrorists."
Several journalists and photographers were detained,
body-searched and had their cellphones and cameras confiscated.
After about an hour, they were released and handed back
their equipment but one of The Star's photographer's memory stick was held
back. Also, all photographs - even those unrelated to the prison beating - had
been deleted.
Regional correctional services commissioner for the Free
State and Northern Cape, Subashni Moodley, told The Star's editor, Makhudu
Sedara, that the photographers had violated an earlier agreement not to move
from where they were stationed or take pictures.
- SAPA
