Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Family Members Report

A group of thirteen people detained for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a notorious military prison, according to family members of the detainees.

Those released were a number of well-known individuals, including elderly Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

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

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

An unnamed source who was once detained in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a high-ranking state security official in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, according to the source. Some have been freed in the intervening period, but about 20 stayed imprisoned.

The Story of an Olympian

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

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

List of Released

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

A half-dozen high-level police officials and an state security officer were released as well.

The Eritrean government has remained silent regarding the releases of the detainees.

A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this may be the reason why they have been released at this time.

Relatives were prohibited to visit the prisoners during their incarceration, the family members said.

Global Criticism and Prison Conditions

United Nations bodies and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing torture, forced disappearance and the detention of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa facility, 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 without contact, sources have indicated.

Context of Government Control

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no functioning constitution. It is one of the most militarized countries, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been no free press since the closure of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their staff in 2001.

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

Per rights groups, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

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