a) The Addis Ababa Prison The Addis Ababa Prison is a Federal prison situated in the capital of the country (just a few meters from the African Union (AU) offices. It is the largest Federal prison and one of the largest prisons in the country with a prison population size of 4835 – 4673 male and 165 female. The prison is divided into six sections called zones and the six zones are made up of 30 large cells called houses or blocks. The male prisoners occupy 25 of the cells while the female occupy the remaining five cells, also called villas. The cells are not of equal sizes and house inmates depending on their sizes. Thus, a cell of about 7m x 20m would have about 135 inmates, while another cell of 7m x 7m would take about 25 inmates. The male section of the prison is separated from the female section using a fence. The female section is further divided into two – one section for nursing mothers and expectant women and another section for the other women. There are 11 children in the women’s section aged between 3 months and 4 years old. There are also about 3 teenage girl prisoners in the women’s section. One of the six zones houses some officials of the Derg (former) regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam. This section, also referred to as Alem bekagn (end of the world, in Amharic) has its own library, a computer training centre and a volley ball court. Each zone has a small clinic that provides first aid medical services. Serious ailments are referred to the Prison’s main clinic run by four doctors (including one prisoner doctor) and twelve nurses. Cases that cannot be handled by the main clinic are referred to hospitals outside the prison.1 The clinic has a well stocked drug store and dispensary. It also has a dental section, a Tuberculosis (TB) section, and a laboratory with modern equipment. According to the Chief Medical Doctor of the Prison, the most common diseases are TB, hypertension, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. There is a 7.9% HIV/AIDS prevalent rate in the prison. 1 The clinic also serves the prison staff and their immediate families. It is not opened to the public. 10 Report of the Mission of the Special Rapporteur on Prisons to Ethiopia 15 – 29 March 2004