Djiboutian officer missing in Ethiopia: he denounces his conditions of detention in Djibouti

Lieutenant Fouad Youssouf Ali is detained at Gabode prison in Djibouti. Alex Potemkin / Getty images

Text by: RFI Follow

News of the Djiboutian air force pilot imprisoned in his country, after being arrested in April in Ethiopia and then extradited, while he was preparing to file an asylum request. In a video filmed secretly in his cell and broadcast at the beginning of the week, he appears in poor health and detained in trying conditions.

Publicity

Read more

The cell Lieutenant Fuad Yusuf Ali to Gabode prison like latrines. A hole in the floor, excrement on the walls, insects and no windows. It is in this context that the pilot imprisoned since April 22 appears. He films himself with a mobile phone and talks about his very degraded state of health, his skin disease and his certainty, he says, that he will not get out of there alive.

Questioned by RFI, his brother Omar, who lives in exile, expresses his "  very great concern  " and his "  sadness  ". As for his lawyer, Me Zakaria Abdellahi , he rebelled. He does not know how this video was filmed, he says, but he too says "  fear for the life  " of his client.

Rights flouted

Thursday, however, he obtained from the accusation chamber that a medical examination of his client be ordered as soon as possible. A report is expected to be released on Sunday. But like his wife and mother, who have never been able to visit him, I'm in the dark,  " he says.

Especially as, since Wednesday, prison authorities refuse daily help that brought him so far his family  : water, clothing, food. Even though an investigating judge issued a communication permit, which was clearly never respected.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Djibouti
  • Ethiopia

On the same subject

Djiboutian officer missing in Ethiopia: his lawyer found him in detention in Djibouti

Djiboutian officer missing in Ethiopia: his family still has no news

Djiboutian officer arrested in Ethiopia