Olympian and Several Eritreans Freed 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 prison, according to relatives of the detainees.

Those released were a number of well-known individuals, such as 69-year-old 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 political prisoners.

Circumstances Surrounding the Detention

A source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a senior internal security officer in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, according to the source. Some have been freed over the years, but about 20 remained in custody.

The Story 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, possesses a deep-rooted cycling culture and its riders have steadily gained international recognition over the past decade.

Those Among the 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 state security officer were also freed.

The Eritrean government has remained silent concerning the releases.

A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this could explain why they have been released at this time.

Families were not allowed to see the prisoners throughout their detention, the relatives said.

Global Criticism and Detention Environment

United Nations bodies and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa facility, situated about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has grown over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, sources have indicated.

Context of Political Rule

For the past thirty years, Eritrea has remained 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 detention of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.

This was when the government arrested 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the head of state implement the proposed 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, remain unknown.

Now 79 years old, the leader recently passed 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an election.