DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - An international rights group says prisoners in Senegal are routinely abused and the perpetrators rarely face punishment.

An Amnesty International report released Wednesday describes beatings and electrocutions, sometimes resulting in death, of male and female prisoners.

Victim Boubacar Diop spoke at a Wednesday press conference, along with family members of prisoners who died in other prisons. “I've never seen such serious torture,'' Diop said.

Police in Senegal are granted blanket immunity. Victims' families - often poor and unfamiliar with the legal system - struggle to bring cases against those responsible.

A presidential spokesman would not confirm or deny the details of the report, but said Senegal was committed to protecting human rights.
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