OGADENI TRIBAL CHIEF HELD TWO YEARS WITHOUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ADDIS ABABA 002615 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM PREL ET SUBJECT: OGADENI TRIBAL CHIEF HELD TWO YEARS WITHOUT TRIAL,DENIED MEDICAL TREATMENT REF: ADDIS 1753 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Tulinabo Mushingi for Reasons 1. 4 (b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) PolOff recently met with Hassan Ahmed Makhtal (strictly protect),a former Ogadeni (Somali region) tribal chief, who claimed that he was imprisoned without trial for two years and denied medical treatment despite severe health problems. Hassan was released in June after having spent two years in Jijiga prison, reportedly without ever appearing in court or being formally charged. Hassan told PolOff that while in prison, he suffered severe health problems but prison officials repeatedly denied him access to medical care. Hassan's statements corraborate several other recent accounts of human rights abuses in Ethiopia's prisons. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On October 26, PolOff met with a former Ogadeni (Somali region) tribal chief Hassan Ahmed Makhtal (strictly protect),who was detained for the past two years in Jijiga prison and whose health is in critical condition. In April 2007, Hassan was arrested in Degahabur town and transferred to Jigiga prison a few days later. Hassan reported to PolOff that police said they arrested him because his grandfather, Makhtal Dahir, instigated instability in the Ogaden region in the 1960s. (Note: Makhtal Dahir was the head of the Ogadeni tribe in the 1950s and 60s, when the Somali region liberation movement was re-ignited. End Note.) Hassan is the brother of Canadian citizen Bashir Makhtal, who was recently sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of being affiliated with the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). Hassan said that several of his family members have been targeted by Ethiopian security for arbitrary imprisonment. Hassan has not filed a complaint against the prison or the Ethiopian government for fear of retribution against other family members. ¶3. (C) Hassan reported being severely beaten by prison guards during his first three months in prison, suffering a broken leg and bruised ribs. Later he came down with a serious illness (now diagnosed as cancer) and repeatedly sought medical attention, but the prison administration denied his requests for 18 months. Hassan believes he was released in June because his health condition was grave and prison officials did not want him to die while in prison. When he was released, he sought medical attention in Jijiga and Dire Dawa, and was then referred to Addis Ababa. In Addis, he was admitted for five days to Harar Clinic, eight days to Mazoria Higher Clinic, and one day to Yared Hospital. Currently Hassan's health is extremely poor; he is not able to move and speech is very difficult. He appeared to weigh approximately 100 pounds. ¶4. (C) Hassan described Jijiga prison as severely overcrowded, with over 2,400 inmates in a small compound. He said he slept with 200 other prisoners in a room approximately 15 feet by 15 feet (prisoners slept on top of one another). Hassan told PolOff that there were no toilets, no water available for washing, and only dirty water to drink. He noted that the sanitary and overcrowding was made worse by the extremely hot weather in the Somali region. Hassan reported that prison guards were abusive towards prisoners, and that many of the inmates had never been brought to trial. ¶5. (U) The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), technically an independent body but widely perceived as loyal to the Ethiopian government, recently released a report documenting inadequate prison conditions - including overcrowding, unhygienic conditions, insufficient medical care, food, water, and education opportunities - and human rights violations occurring within Ethiopian prisons (Ref. A). Ethiopia's constitution, as well as the international conventions that Ethiopia has ratified, grants prisoners the right to a speedy trial, to be presumed innocent, and to be released on bail. However, the EHRC investigation found that the overwhelming majority of detainees in Ethiopia's prisons are being held on pending charges. For example, only ten percent of prisoners in Gambella prison have been convicted and 46 percent in Addis Ababa (no statistics are available for Jijiga Prison). Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Hassan's testimony is consistent with several other recent accounts - from former inmates and EHRC - of human rights abuses in Ethiopia's prisons. Though the government is reportedly addressing some of the overcrowding/sanitary issues, reports of unlawful detention and violations of human rights continue. Post will closely monitor whether any measures are taken to improve prison conditions and to decrease the occurence of human rights violations by raising cases with the GoE when appropriate. In this case, Hassan has asked us not to raise his case with the GoE for fear of retribution against other family members. End Summary. MUSHINGI