Melbourne boy at risk in notorious Ethiopian prison

July 19, 2013 | By Caroline Zielinski | The Age National

A 15-year-old Australian imprisoned in a notorious Ethiopian federal jail for killing his niece was initially forced to share a cell with international criminals and drug traffickers, according to his lawyer.

The teenager, Obsa Paulos Gudina, is now in his third, and "cleanest" cell in Kaliti prison since his arrest in April 16 for what his family say was a tragic accident, lawyer Taffesse Gebremedhin has told Fairfax Media.

Mr Gebremedhin said that despite third-world prison conditions and an initial period of depression, Obsa Paulos Gudina is coping better since his change to a cleaner, less crowded cell.

Obsa Paulos' visa

"I had an extended conversation with him [on Thursday]... He's healthy looking. He looks nice, he's happy," he said.

Mr Gebremedhin said that Obsa was first placed in a "big cell... with over 300 prisoners, many of them arrested in connection with drugs".

"It was terrible... many prisoners suffer suffocation [due to the] lack of ventilation. He was depressed... not healthy looking, [and] not really in a stable condition," Mr Gebremedhin said.

Tseai Atomsa. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer

"This is not a developed nation, and prisons are overcrowded, and minimum standards are not satisfied."

After seeing Obsa and noting his cell conditions, Mr Gebremedhin and the Australian deputy head of mission and counsellor, John Newman, lodged a complaint with the prison administration to have Obsa moved to a better cell.

"They [the prison administration] gave consideration to Obsa's circumstances, and moved him to another room, which was cleaner," Mr Gebremedhin said.

Obsa's current prison conditions are tolerable, Mr Gebremedhin said, and despite "a lot of limitations", Obsa's hygiene conditions are "relatively OK".

"He has access to a bathroom... He said they even provided him with a mattress," Mr Gebremedhin said.

"[But] there is no library facility, no place for him to read a book."

Obsa spent the first month of his incarceration at the main police station in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, waiting for the prosecutor to gather information about the incident.

After a month, Obsa was charged with intentional homicide, and moved to the infamous Kaliti prison, on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.

After the charge, he appeared before the federal court, where he was denied bail by the presiding judge due to the serious nature of his charge.

While Mr Gebremedhin said that no physical harm was done to Obsa in the all-adult jail, "he was not happy" at the time.

"He was depressed... not healthy looking, [and] not really in a stable condition," Mr Gebremedhin said.

The lawyer said adults and minors are often placed together in the same jail cells in Ethiopia, despite a person under the age of 18 being legally considered a minor.

"There is no separate prison for minors and adults. Minors between the ages of 15 and 18 are required to stay in a separate place, but there is no such place for them," he said.

Mr Gebremedhin indicated to the teen's mother, Tsehai Atomsa, that legal fees will be approximately $A10,000.

Heidi Zwick from the New Hope Foundation said the family has very limited financial resources, "as Tsehai lives in public housing and is on a disability support payment".

Ms Atomsa told Fairfax Media on Friday that she is grateful for the local support she has received.

"Australian people have helped us with everything," she said.