JIGJIGA (Halbeeg News) – A notorious prison in Ethiopia’s Somali regional state capital Jigjiga has been officially closed down on Saturday.
The leader of the regional state, Mustafa Omer has toured the main prison facility which is also known as Jail Ogaden.
The Central Prison has been at the center of a Human Rights Watch, HRW, report that exposed massive rights abuse of inmates held in the facility.
According to Africa News, the facility will now be turned into a museum.
Jail Ogaden was reported to be one of the tools of repression used by the former regional president Abdi Mohamoud.
The July 2018 HRW report on Jail Ogaden also called on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to probe widespread rights abuses routinely carried out on inmates.
The 88-page report asserted that “Prison officials and security forces have arbitrarily detained and tortured prisoners for years in the notorious regional prison known as Jail Ogaden.
“Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, should urgently order investigations into the horrific situation, and the government should ensure regional security forces and officials are held accountable.
“Most prisoners are accused of some affiliation with the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a banned opposition group, but most never face charges or trials.”
Halbeeg News, Reuters, and Africa News
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