Olympian and Other Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Relatives Report

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

Those released were a number of well-known individuals, such as elderly Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

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

Details of the Arrest

A source who was once detained in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a high-ranking state security official in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, per the source. A number have been freed in the intervening period, but about 20 remained in custody.

The Story 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 achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned global acclaim over the past decade.

List of Freed

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

A half-dozen high-level police officials and an internal security agent were also freed.

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

Many of them are in poor health and this could explain why they have been freed now.

Families were not allowed to see the prisoners during their detention, the family members said.

International Criticism and Detention Environment

United Nations bodies and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the detention of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

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

Context of Government Rule

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

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

This was when the government arrested 15 politicians known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the president implement the draft constitution and hold open elections.

Per advocacy organizations, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

Now 79 years old, the president marked 32 years in power and has still never faced an election.