Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Trial, Relatives Report

A group of thirteen people detained for more than 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, according to family members of the detainees.

Among those freed were several well-known individuals, including elderly Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, known for its severe environment and where many inmates are considered detained for political reasons.

Details of the Detention

A source who was once detained in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 following an assassination attempt on a high-ranking internal security officer in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, per the source. A number have been freed over the years, but roughly two dozen remained in custody.

The Story of an Olympian

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 cyclists have increasingly earned global acclaim over the past decade.

List of Freed

The individuals freed alongside Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a geometrist.

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

The Eritrean government has remained silent regarding the releases.

A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this may be the reason why they have been released at this time.

Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners throughout their detention, the relatives said.

Global Criticism and Prison Conditions

United Nations bodies and rights organizations have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing torture, enforced disappearances 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 without contact, sources have indicated.

Background on 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 militarised societies, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration.

There has been no free press since the shutdown of private publications and arrest of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.

This occurred after the government arrested 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the president 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, remain unknown.

Now 79 years old, the president marked 32 years in office and has yet to participate in an electoral contest.