Olympian and Other Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Trial, Family Members Report

Thirteen individuals held for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been released from a infamous military detention facility, according to relatives of the detainees.

Those released were a number of prominent figures, including elderly Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa prison, known for its severe environment and where many detainees are believed to be political prisoners.

Circumstances Surrounding the Detention

An unnamed source who was once detained in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 following an attempted assassination on a high-ranking state security official in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. A number have been released in the intervening period, but roughly two dozen remained in custody.

The Story of an Olympian

Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia.

The nation in the Horn of Africa, which achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, possesses a deep-rooted tradition of cycling and its riders have increasingly earned global acclaim in recent years.

List of Released

Those released with Zeragaber include notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a geometrist.

Six senior police officers and an state security officer were also freed.

The Eritrean government has made no official comment concerning the releases.

A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this could explain why they have been freed now.

Relatives were not allowed to see the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the family members reported.

International Condemnation and Prison Conditions

The UN and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including torture, enforced disappearances and the detention of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa facility, located about 9km north-west of the capital city, Asmara, has expanded over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held without contact, according to reports.

Context of Political Control

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has remained a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is among the world's most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been an absence of independent media since the shutdown of private publications and detention of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.

This occurred after the government arrested 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the president implement the draft constitution and hold open elections.

Per rights groups, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, remain unknown.

Now 79 years old, the leader marked 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an election.