Jihadists held in the terrorism wing of the prison in Vught have written a 32-page letter of complaint about the ‘austere’ regime, reports the AD.

They protest against what they call the ‘terrorist factory’ and claim Muslim detainees are suffering a regime that is ‘not much better than the isolation punishment cell’ but staff and management will not listen to their concerns.

The so-called manifesto suggests improvements, although it is not clear how it ended up outside the prison.

AD reports that it claims an image of Dutch prisons as quasi hotels is totally wrong, citing up to 10 searches a day, cameras everywhere including the shower and toilet, screened visits, delays in sending letters due to monitoring, and no place for indoor sports.

André Seebregts, a lawyer for many prisoners in the terrorism department, would not discuss the manifesto but told the paper there are ongoing ‘constructive discussions’ about the prison regime. A spokesman for the security and justice department told AD discussions are ongoing, unrelated to this document.