Table 1 below shows the prison population distribution by region.
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Region
Tigray
Afar
Amhara
Oromia
Somali
Ben Shangul
SNNPR
Gambela
Harar
Dire Dawa
Addis Ababa
Total
²
III.
Including Robit Prison
Population Area size
Prison Population
Total
in 000
in Sq Km. Male
Female
4,206.5
50 286
3,761
113
3,874
1,483.9
96 708
223
15
238
18,555.2
156 960
14,034
455 14,489
25,125.0
353 632
21,927
689 22,616
4,537.7
279 252
248
5
253
617.6
50 248
1,159
27
1186
13,918.2
112 727
12,199
539 12,738
243.9
25 369
431
11
442
175.9
374
1,325
84
1409
337.8
1 025
413
27
440
2,833.7
546
5,776
138
5914
72,035.4
1 127 127
61,696
2,093
63,792
Including Kaliti Prison
Description of detention facilities visited
The Special Rapporteur visited nine prisons, two police stations and two prison farms in
five regions of the country. This section gives a brief description of the detention
facilities visited.
1. Addis Ababa Region
The Addis Ababa region is one of the two federal regions in the eleven region federation
of Ethiopia. It comprises 6 zones and 28 Woredas. The city is divided into 328 dwelling
associations (Kebeles) of which 305 are urban and 23 rural. Addis Ababa is located in the
heart of the country surrounded by the Oromia region. It has a land area of about 540
Km2 with a total population of almost three million inhabitants. As capital of the country,
Addis Ababa is a city where, despite differences in number, almost all-ethnic groups live
in. However, the major ethnic groups were the Amharas 48.3%, Oromos 19.2%, Guragies
17.5%, Tigrains 7.6%, and others all together 7.4%. Regarding religion, 82% of the
populations were Orthodox Christians, 12.7% Muslims, 3.9% Protestants, 0.8%
Catholics, and 0.6% followers of other religions (Hindus, Jews, Bauhaus, Jehovah,
Witnesses, Agthnostics).
The region has three prisons with a total of about 6,114 inmates – 5976 male and 138
female. The prisons include – Addis Ababa Prison, Kaliti Prison and Ziway Prison.
9
Report of the Mission of the Special Rapporteur on Prisons to Ethiopia
15 – 29 March 2004