Red Cross trains prison officials

Prison officials have undergone training to improve the conditions for inmates, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday.

They underwent a five-day programme to “strengthen and develop competence” of the management of detention centres, the ICRC said.

The move comes amid deep concern over the treatment of prisoners in Ethiopia.

The US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its latest 2003 country report that conditions in Ethiopia’s prisons are appalling.

It stated that prison conditions “did not meet international standards” and alleged that in certain parts of the country some prisoners were tortured.

“Prison conditions were harsh in the provinces and in Addis Ababa. Medical care was rudimentary and rationed to a handful of prisoners per day," it noted.

The training was for prison directors, heads of security, health and administration, in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia.

The ICRC said that “respect for human dignity” and the treatment of women and children was addressed during the training in the regional capital Bahar Dar.

“Some fundamental topics such as health problems related to nutrition, clean water and solid waste management were discussed,” the ICRC said.

“The issue of medical treatment of sick detainees with a particular emphasis in mental illness and diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS were also largely developed.”

The ICRC regularly visits prisoners in Ethiopian jails across the country. This year alone it has carried out more than 160 visits to 128 detention centres.