Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Freed After Nearly Two Decades Without Trial, Family Members Say

A group of thirteen people held for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been released from a notorious military detention facility, as stated by relatives of the detainees.

Those released were several prominent figures, such as 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

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

Circumstances Surrounding the Detention

A source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 following an attempted assassination on a senior state security official in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, according to the source. Some have been released over the years, but roughly two dozen remained in custody.

The Story 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 tradition of cycling and its cyclists have steadily gained international recognition over the past decade.

List of Released

Those released with Zeragaber comprise prominent businessmen 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 remained silent regarding the releases of the detainees.

A significant number of the former detainees are in poor health and this could explain why they have been freed now.

Families were prohibited to visit the prisoners during their incarceration, the family members said.

International Condemnation 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 inhumane conditions.

Mai Serwa prison, 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, according to reports.

Context of Government Rule

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no functioning constitution. 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 closure 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 president implement the draft constitution and conduct democratic polls.

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.

Aged 79, the leader marked 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an election.