Olympian and Several Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Trial, Family Members Report

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

Among those freed were several prominent figures, such as 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

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

Details of the Detention

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

Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, per the source. A number have been freed over the years, but roughly two dozen remained in custody.

Profile 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 gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong cycling culture and its riders have increasingly earned international recognition in recent years.

List of Freed

The individuals freed alongside Zeragaber comprise 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 released as well.

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

Many of them are sick and this could explain why they have been freed now.

Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners during their incarceration, the relatives reported.

Global Condemnation and Detention Environment

The UN and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing torture, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of many 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 without contact, sources have indicated.

Background on Government Control

For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarized countries, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration.

There has been an absence of independent media since the shutdown of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their staff in 2001.

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

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

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