Olympic Athlete and Several Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Trial, Family Members Report

A group of thirteen people detained for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been released from a infamous military prison, as stated by relatives of the detainees.

Among those freed were a number of well-known individuals, including elderly Olympian cyclist and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been incarcerated at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its harsh conditions and where many detainees are considered political prisoners.

Details of the Detention

An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an attempted assassination on a high-ranking internal security officer in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. Some have been freed in the intervening period, but roughly two dozen remained in custody.

Profile of an Olympian

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

List of Released

Those released alongside Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a geometrist.

Six senior police officers and an state security officer were released as well.

The Eritrean government has made no official comment concerning the releases.

Many of them are sick and this could explain why they have been released at this time.

Relatives were not allowed to see the prisoners during their incarceration, the relatives said.

Global Criticism and Detention Environment

The UN and human rights groups have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of many thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

Mai Serwa facility, situated about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has expanded over the years to incorporate 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 remained a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been no free press since the shutdown of private publications 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 called for that the president put into effect the draft constitution and conduct democratic polls.

According to advocacy organizations, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

Aged 79, the president recently passed 32 years in power and has still never faced an electoral contest.