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

Thirteen individuals detained for over 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by relatives of the detainees.

Those released were several prominent figures, such as 69-year-old Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

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

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

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

Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, according to the source. A number have been released in the intervening period, but roughly two dozen stayed imprisoned.

Profile of an Olympian

Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games 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 Released

Those released alongside 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 not issued any statement concerning the releases.

Many of them are in poor health and this may be the reason why they have been released now.

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

International Criticism and Prison Conditions

United Nations bodies and rights organizations 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 city, Asmara, has expanded over the years to include 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, according to reports.

Context of Political Control

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has remained a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarized countries, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been no free press since the shutdown of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their staff 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 put into effect the draft constitution and conduct democratic polls.

Per advocacy organizations, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

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