Human Rights Watch urges Ethiopia to probe claims of torture at prison
Addis Ababa — Prisoners in Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region have been arbitrarily detained and tortured for years, Human Rights Watch said, as it urged the Horn of Africa nation’s new prime minister to order an investigation. The allegations of abuse at the prison known as Jail Ogaden, which holds thousands of inmates mainly accused of links to a banned secessionist group, come after premier Abiy Ahmed told parliament in June that the country’s use of torture is unconstitutional. New York-based Human Rights Watch cited interviews with 70 former prisoners conducted between 2011 and 2018 in its report published on Thursday. The head of the facility is under the command of the regional prison commissioner, who in turn reports to the Somali region’s head of security. That official also heads a special police force known as the Liyu and reports to the region’s president, Abdi Mohamoud Omar, according to Human Rights Watch. Ethiopia, Africa’s most populous nation after Nigeria, is a feder...
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