Olympic Athlete and Several Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Trial, Relatives Report

A group of thirteen people held for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military prison, as stated by family members of the detainees.

Those released were several well-known individuals, including elderly Olympian cyclist and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been incarcerated at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its severe environment and where many detainees are believed to be detained for political reasons.

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

A source who was once detained in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an attempted assassination on a senior internal security officer in the government.

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

Profile of an Athlete

Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia.

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

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 geometrist.

A half-dozen high-level police officials and an state security officer were also freed.

The Eritrean government has remained silent regarding the releases.

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

Families were not allowed to visit the prisoners during their detention, the relatives reported.

Global Criticism and Detention Environment

The UN and rights organizations have long accused the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the detention of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa prison, located about 9km north-west of the capital city, Asmara, has grown over the years to include 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held without contact, according to reports.

Background on Political Rule

For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no functioning constitution. It is one of the most militarised societies, 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 editors and journalists in 2001.

This was when the government detained 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the head of state implement the draft 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 leader recently passed 32 years in office and has still never faced an electoral contest.