Iraqi Human Rights Group Finds Secret Prison In Basra

'Iraqi Parliament’s Human Rights Commission has found up to 200 malnourished and disease-stricken Iraqi detainees locked in a secret prison in the southern city of Basra.

The commission’s spokesman, Amer Thamer, said many of the detainees bore signs of torture. "They are crammed in a circular room surrounded with slabs of concrete with no roof," Thamer said.

He said the prison is operated by the Defense Ministry and none of the inmates has ever been tried or given access to legal assistance.

"We put the blame for the horrific conditions of the inmates squarely on the Defense Ministry," he said.

Members of the commission came across the prison during a routine tour of Basra.

"Searing temperatures and extremely hot sun had almost grilled some inmates," he said.'

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