Thousands of Ethiopian migrant workers detained in Saudi Arabia have been exposed to life-threatening conditions in prisons where they are being held, according a study released on Friday by the human rights organization Amnesty International. The report, researched in June and July, cites detainees being chained together in pairs and forced to use their cell floors as toilets. They are confined 24 hours a day in crowded cells, according to Amnesty researchers, who add that illnesses such as skin infections, diarrhea and yellow fever are rife. The detainees include men, women, toddlers, youths, children and babies born in detention. The rights group says that in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the unsanitary conditions are especially alarming. The report also cites electric shocks and beatings against the migrants, whose complaints to prison authorities have been documented. Saudi Arabia has repatriated almost 4,000 Ethiopian migrants since March. Amnesty called on both Riyadh and Addis Ababa, as well as the international community, to work together to ensure safe repatriation for other Ethiopians.
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