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The Somali Somali regional government has strongly denied allegations of systemic torture in Jijiga Central Prison, opening the door for a potential confrontation with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Denial follows a detailed Human Rights report Look at the literature on the extent of torture in Jijiga, also known as Ogaden Prison, in the Somali regional capital.
"I saw the report.This is not true, Idris Ismail Abdi, the Somali Region's Information Minister, said this week at the Somali VOA Service." It is not like they [HRW] came here and talked to people. It's far from the truth, and it's manufactured, "said Abdi.
HRW's report, based on interviews with 70 former prisoners, with government officials, One of the most detailed images to date, Ethiopian Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye announced that all the country's prison authorities had been dismissed "for failing to fulfill their responsibilities and respecting their rights. man of prisoners ".", According to the public broadcaster Fana Television.
This move, and a historic admission last month by Ahmed that the government sanctioned torture in violation of his constitution, could lead to a political confrontation between The Federal Government and the Powerful Somalian
"Absolutely no rule of law"
According to HRW, officials arrested thousands of prisoners in prison Ogaden, most of whom neglect. According to HRW, many prisoners have never been convicted or even charged with a crime.
Authorities believe that prisoners belong to or sympathize with the National Liberation Front of Ogaden (ONLF), a major opposition group. The ONLF has, in the past, fought the Ethiopian Defense Forces and both groups committed war crimes in 2007 and 2008, according to HRW.
On Thursday, the Ethiopian parliament withdrew the ONLF and two other opposition groups from a list of terrorist organizations.
Felix Horne is senior researcher at HRW's Africa Division and wrote the report on Jail Ogaden. He told VOA that although torture by the government has been widespread in Ethiopia, the Somali region is unique in its anarchy.
"There is absolutely no rule of law," Horne said. "Of the 70 former detainees we interviewed, only four had already been brought to justice, and the individuals who are responsible for the abuses in Ogaden Prison, and the larger and broader abusers in the Somali region, are all the way to the highest level. "
Horne said the only way forward is for the prime minister to intervene with a federal commission charged with overseeing and investigating abuses. It is the authority of Ahmed, said Horne, and a necessary step to create lasting change
But this would likely put Ahmed at odds with Abdi Mohamoud Omar, the Somali regional president.
Omar, also known as Abdi Illey, oversees the Liyu Police, a special force responsible for various abuses against Ethiopians, particularly in the Somali region, according to human rights groups. person
regional "warlord"
Hallelujah Lulie is a security researcher and political badyst at Amani Africa. Liyu's police function as a regional army, Lulie told VOA, and they were created to contain the ONLF, posing a long-standing political threat to Abdi Illey's party.
Lulie says the findings of HRW are not surprising.
It may not be easy to dislodge Abdi Illey from power.
"His power is not controlled," Lulie said. "He runs the region as a warlord, which I can say for sure," Lulie added. "He has total control over … security institutions, legislative units, all levels of regional government."
Lulie recalled a case where six or seven members of Abdi Illey's cabinet revolted against him and went to Addis Ababa, the capital. Abdi Illey followed them there and diverted them to Jijiga, says Lulie.
But Horne sees limits to the authority of Abdi Illey. The upcoming elections in 2020 would provide a way to remove him from power, and his authority would ultimately come from the federal government.
"Abdi Illey has supervised various abuses and is responsible for the Liyu police, who have participated in numerous mbadacres, some of which have been documented by human rights groups, and he can be prosecuted under the Ethiopian law for that, "said Horne.
In the short term, Horne said, the responsibility must improve.
"One thing that was pretty obvious from this research is that there is surveillance of regional detention centers, and that must change," Horne said.
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