A History of Wallo Teklay Gizat Prison (1941-1974)

This research is a historical account of the Wallo Teklay Gizat Prison from 1941 to 1974. The years 1941 and 1974 were selected as the starting and finishing points because both of them are landmarks in the history of Ethiopia. While 1941 marked the liberation of the country from the Italian occupation, 1974 saw the fall of the Imperial regime and the establishment of a military government. The study mainly aimed at giving a comprehensive image of the prison where criminals were exposed to various sufferings. As much as possible, efforts have been made to make extensive use of resources relevant to the subject. Available written materials and documents have been consulted. In addition, I met with many useful informants. In the period under discussion, Wallo was one of the administrative regions of Ethiopia located in the north-eastern part of the country bordering Tigray in the north, the Republic of Djibouti in the east, Gojjam and Bagemidir in the west, and Shewa and Harerge in the south. During the Imperial regime, the prison was an important institution for detaining convicted criminals. In Dase, which was the administrative capital of the region, the principal prison was known as Yatikilay Gigatu Wahini Bet. Although the government issued the general rules of prison establishment in 1944, the jail had existed since a few years after the founding of the town. Initially, it was situated north of the Aytayyaf Hall. During the Italian occupation, it was moved to the Robit area and then to the present location of the Wayzero Sihin School. The jail was then transferred to Kombolcha. The prison in Kombolcha was built by the Italians. After a while, it moved to Jame in the south outskirts of Dese. At Jame, prisoners were exposed to severe living conditions and deprived of adequate water supply and food. Poor sanitation, rampant communicable diseases, lack of medical treatment, and the poor quality of food led to a high mortality rate. It was from this reason that the jail was called “Dam Mellash” (avenger). This was another important factor that contributed to the increasing number of outlaws who opted for shiftinnet instead of going to prison. As the living condition of the prisoners grew from bad to worse, the government decided in 1951 to construct a new jail at its present location near the Borkana River. In 1958, the jail was transferred from Jame to Kombolcha. The other problem in the jails of Wallo province was the lack of adequately trained guards. Reports of the period mentioned that the jail was guarded by the Nech Labash force until the late 1950s. Moreover, the procedure of adjudication that lengthened the appointment of criminal cases from an average of twenty to thirty times is said to have created strong hatred of the prisoners towards the government. This is said to be another factor for the growing number of criminals who opted for shifitinat rather than accepting the rule of law. To conclude, the prison served as a symbol of royal absolutism where prisoners were exposed to miserable and inhumane living conditions, such as inadequate ration, hunger, sanitation problems, suffocation, torture, unjust legal proceedings, and corrupt jurists.