Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Family Members Say

Thirteen individuals detained for more than 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been released from a notorious military detention facility, as stated by family members of the detainees.

Among those freed were several prominent figures, including 69-year-old Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

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

Circumstances Surrounding 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 state security official in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, per the source. Some have been freed over the years, but roughly two dozen stayed imprisoned.

Profile of an Olympian

Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia.

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

Those Among the Freed

The individuals freed with Zeragaber comprise prominent businessmen Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a surveyor.

Six senior police officers and an internal security agent were also freed.

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

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

Families were prohibited to see the prisoners during their detention, the relatives reported.

Global Criticism and Prison Conditions

The UN and rights organizations have long accused the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the detention of many thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

Mai Serwa prison, located about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has grown over the years to include 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, according to reports.

Context of Government Control

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has remained a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is among the world's most militarized countries, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration.

There has been no free press since the closure of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.

This was when the government arrested 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the president put into effect the proposed constitution and conduct democratic polls.

Per rights groups, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

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