Interview: Years of Untold Suffering at Jail Ogaden

In the Somali region of Ethiopia, it seems like everyone knows someone who was locked up in the dreaded Jail Ogaden, but no one wants to speak about the horrors there. The thousands who have been held there are terrified of revealing the horrors that they faced. But now Ethiopia has a new prime minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, who has promised reforms and vowed to embrace increased respect for human rights. So far, he has released hundreds of political prisoners but has steered clear of tackling the torture epidemic in Ethiopia’s prisons. Audrey Wabwire speaks to Felix Horne about the new Human Rights Watch report on Jail Ogaden, and about what it takes to restore hope to many who have silently suffered in the Somali region and across Ethiopia.