Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Relatives Say

Thirteen individuals detained for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a notorious military prison, according to family members of the detainees.

Among those freed were a number of prominent figures, such as 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its severe environment and where many detainees are considered political prisoners.

Details of the Arrest

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

Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. A number have been released over the years, but about 20 remained in custody.

Profile of an Olympian

Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia.

The nation in the Horn of Africa, which achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned global acclaim in recent years.

List of Freed

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.

A half-dozen high-level police officials and an internal security agent were released as well.

The Eritrean government has not issued any statement regarding the releases of the detainees.

Many of them are in poor health and this could explain why they have been freed at this time.

Relatives were not allowed to see the prisoners during their detention, the family members reported.

International Criticism and Detention Environment

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

Background on Government Control

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is among the world's most militarized countries, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been an absence of independent media 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 head of state put into effect the proposed 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.

Now 79 years old, the leader recently passed 32 years in power and has still never faced an electoral contest.