The prison was closed in 2004 , and on the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide that year , plans were presented to the African Union to convert the site into a memorial to human rights abuses . These plans were supported by the Mayor of Addis Ababa Arkebe Oqubay . However , Oqubay was replaced as mayor by Berhane Deressa , who although himself a former prisoner was dedicated to removing traces of the former dictatorships , while the Chinese government offered the AU a gift of a new headquarters on the site . The memorial plans were rejected , and Alem Bekagn was demolished within one day in 2007 . Nothing remains of the prison , but the new AU Conference Center and Office Complex has a small memorial to Alem Bekagn in its northern corner
Rwandan genocide
Rwandan genocide
Alem Bekagn