An imprisoned Eritrean poet and journalist died while living in "complete isolation and inhumane conditions" in a secret jail for six years, media rights group Reporters without Borders (RSF) said today.
Eritrean officials were not immediately available for comment. Asmara routinely denies reports by foreign-based rights groups that criticise its human rights record.
"The death of Fessehaye Yohannes would be an appalling tragedy, one made all the more unbearable by the accommodating attitude of European governments towards Eritrea," RSF said in a statement.
"Fessehaye was paralysed in one hand and had been walking with difficulty for years. He reportedly succumbed to the extremely harsh conditions in which he had been held since his arrest in September 2001," it added.
Media rights groups consistently rank the Red Sea state, which has no independent media, as one of the worst violators of press freedoms in the world.