Olympian and Several Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Family Members Say

A group of thirteen people detained for over 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been released from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by relatives of the prisoners.

Among those freed were several well-known individuals, such as elderly Olympic athlete and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, known for its harsh conditions and where many detainees are believed to be political prisoners.

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 following an attempted assassination on a senior state security official in the government.

Around 30 people were initially detained, according to the source. Some have been released over the years, but roughly two dozen remained in custody.

The Story of an Athlete

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, has a strong cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition in recent years.

List of Released

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

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

The Eritrean government has not issued any statement concerning the releases of the detainees.

A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this may be the reason why they have been freed now.

Families were not allowed to visit the prisoners during their incarceration, the family members reported.

Global Criticism and Detention Environment

United Nations bodies and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, including ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the detention of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

Mai Serwa facility, situated 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, according to reports.

Context of Government Control

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has remained a single-party nation with no functioning constitution. It is one of the most militarized countries, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration.

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

This was when the government detained 15 politicians known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the head of state implement the proposed constitution and conduct democratic polls.

Per advocacy organizations, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, remain unknown.

Aged 79, the president marked 32 years in office and has still never faced an electoral contest.