Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Family Members Say

A group of thirteen people held for more than 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a notorious military detention facility, as stated by family members of the detainees.

Among those freed were several well-known individuals, including 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its severe environment and where many inmates are considered detained for political reasons.

Details of the Arrest

A source who was once detained in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 after an attempted assassination on a high-ranking internal security officer in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, per the source. Some have been released in the intervening period, but roughly two dozen remained in custody.

Profile of an Olympian

Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia.

The nation in the Horn of Africa, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong tradition of cycling and its cyclists have steadily gained international recognition over the past decade.

List of Released

The individuals freed alongside Zeragaber include prominent businessmen Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a surveyor.

Six senior police officers and an internal security agent 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 may be the reason why they have been released now.

Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners throughout their detention, the family members said.

International Condemnation and Prison Conditions

United Nations bodies and rights organizations have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including torture, forced disappearance and the detention of many thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

Mai Serwa prison, located about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has expanded over the years to include 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, sources have indicated.

Context of Government Rule

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has continued to be a one-party state with no functioning constitution. It is among the world's most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been no free press since the shutdown of private publications and arrest of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.

This occurred after the government detained 15 politicians known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the head of state put into effect the draft constitution and hold open elections.

According to rights groups, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

Aged 79, the leader marked 32 years in office and has yet to participate in an election.