A/HRC/23/53 subjected to interrogation by agents in civilian clothes. They are either dumped in a cell in an underground prison or in another secret place of detention. They do not know where they have been taken to (nor do their families), and are too afraid to ask. They are removed from their places of detention for interrogation at regular intervals. The identities of interrogators are kept secret, as they shroud their faces. 51. The number of people arrested and detained without charge or due process amounts to thousands. National service evaders or escapees, and those suspected of wanting to flee or caught during flight further swell detention figures and may reach tens of thousands. 52. Invariably, detainees are held without being informed about the reason for their arrest and without an arrest warrant. Prison conditions are life threatening, harsh, degrading and unhygienic. Food rations are generally poor, and the nutritional value and quality of the food and water supplies provided to detainees are inadequate. Those in underground prisons do not see daylight for months at a time. 53. Individuals arrested arbitrarily are subjected to physical and psychological torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The information gathered confirmed that torture is regularly used in Eritrean prisons, military barracks and at Sawa – a one-stop service consisting of a school, a military training camp and a detention facility all in one, as well as other military training camps. 54. Political prisoners, other detainees, military deserters, “refouled” refugees, failed asylum seekers and students at Sawa are subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. Detainees are particularly vulnerable to abuse, as they are held incommunicado, without legal procedures or safeguards, while access by family, doctors or lawyers is denied, in blatant disregard for international human rights standards. Perpetrators are not prosecuted or punished, thus perpetuating a culture of impunity. 55. Former detainees described various types of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment inflicted upon them, which is still being used today, including: (a) The helicopter: the victim is stripped, hands and feet tied at the back and then tied to a tree, hanging or raised above the ground just enough to force the victim to stand on their toes for long periods, with their hands tied to the tree; the victim is then made to lie face down on the ground in the hot sun, the rain or at night in the cold. The victim may be kept in this position for 24 hours, sometimes with two to three short meal or toilet breaks, at the whim of the person inflicting the punishment; (b) “Otto” (Eight): the victim��s hands are tied behind their back and they are left to lie face down on the ground; (c) Pistols are regularly pointed at detainees during interrogation; (d) Detainees are beaten all over the body and on the soles of the feet with a thick metal chain or bar; (e) Sugar is spread on the lips of the detainee, whose hands and feet are tied. The detainee is then left outside, where swarms of flies are drawn to the sugar, forcing the detainee to make a repetitious neck movement to dispel the flies, leading to severe neck strain; alternatively, the whole of the detainee’s body is smeared with milk and sugar, causing flies and other insects to attack. 56. Obtaining information from inside Eritrea poses severe challenges; it was therefore impossible for the Special Rapporteur to know how many secret detention centres, holding cells such as shipping containers or underground bunkers controlled by the military or internal security service exist. These are scattered throughout the country, at times in areas where temperatures soar to almost 48 degrees Celsius. Not all are officially designated prisons, and outsiders are not permitted access. Deaths in prison from torture, 11