Families of several Malaysians on death row in Singapore's notorious Changi Prison have complained that they have been kept in tiny cells since September.

According to Lawyers for Liberty advisor N Surendran, the cells measure only three normal paces on each side.

"The toilet and shower are also within the cell, thus reducing further the living space. It is like being locked up in a box.

"Prisoners are forced to sleep in a bent position as they are unable to stretch out when sleeping. This is reminiscent of tortures inflicted during the Japanese Occupation.

"Within this tiny cell, the Malaysians are confined for 23 hours each day," he said in a statement today, which urged the Malaysian government to intervene.

Surendran claimed that the families also reported that the cells have poor ventilation and are poorly lit.

"Hence, they are forced to sit in their stiflingly hot prison cells all day, unable to talk, read, write or even stretch out and sleep. It amounts to the worst kind of solitary punishment.

"These conditions are extreme, inhumane and in breach of international human rights norms," he said.

Surendran said that the International Red Cross had recommended a minimum cell size of 5.4 square metres, which the Changi Prison does not meet.

He questioned why the Singaporean authorities were adding more misery to the mental burden already being carried by death row inmates.

"In its brutality of treatment, this puts Changi Prison in the same league as notorious prisons in North Korea, Iran and the Congo.

"The treatment meted out to the death row prisoners seems to be deliberate and intended to inflict maximum suffering. Singapore's motive for doing (this) is unclear at present," he said.

Surendran also questioned whether Singaporean Home Minister K Shanmugam had given the order for Malaysian inmates to be treated this way.

Malaysiakini is contacting the Singapore High Commission for a response.