The Human Rights Watch has expressed great hope for the release of Abdi Mohamud Omar, known as Abdi Illey. The former president of the Somali regional government of Ethiopia, has been imprisoned for the last five years for crimes against humanity.
Laetitia Bader, the executive director of the human rights advocacy group, said the decision to release him from prison is a major obstacle to ending impunity for crimes involving high-ranking officials.
In 2018, Abdi was arrested for “violations against human rights and inciting ethnic and religious conflicts,” and was charged in 2019 for his role in his final days in office, when the Somali regional government’s special forces named “Liyu Police” attacked Somali people and others community.
Human Rights Watch has documented that Liu police regularly commit horrific abuses against civilians, including killings, torture, and rape, as well as retaliating against local communities.
In 2018, Human Rights Watch reported on abuses committed during Abdi Illey’s rule, particularly in the form of torture and ill-treatment in Ogadenia Prison, where inmates were denied access to adequate medical care.