Olympian and Several Eritreans Released After Nearly Two Decades Without Facing Charges, Relatives Report

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

Those released were a number of well-known individuals, including 69-year-old Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, known for its harsh conditions and where many detainees are believed to be political prisoners.

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

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 internal security officer in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. Some have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 stayed imprisoned.

The Story of an Athlete

Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia.

The mountainous country, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, possesses a deep-rooted cycling culture and its riders have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade.

List of Freed

The individuals freed alongside Zeragaber include 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 internal security agent were also freed.

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

A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this could explain why they have been released at this time.

Families were not allowed to visit the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives reported.

International Criticism and Detention Environment

The UN and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, including ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the imprisonment of many thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa facility, located 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, sources have indicated.

Background on Government Control

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has remained a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarized countries, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been an absence of independent media since the closure of private publications and detention of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.

This was when the government arrested 15 politicians known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the head of state implement the proposed constitution and hold open elections.

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

Aged 79, the president recently passed 32 years in office and has yet to participate in an election.