Olympian and Other Eritreans Released After Nearly Two Decades Without Trial, Relatives Report

Thirteen individuals detained for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, according to relatives of the detainees.

Among those freed were several prominent figures, including elderly Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, known for its harsh conditions and where many inmates are considered political prisoners.

Circumstances Surrounding the Detention

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

Around 30 people were initially detained, per the source. Some have been freed over the years, but about 20 remained in custody.

The Story of an Olympian

Zeragaber competed 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 cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade.

List of Freed

The individuals freed with Zeragaber include notable entrepreneurs 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 released as well.

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

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

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

International Condemnation and Detention Environment

United Nations bodies and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa prison, situated about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has expanded over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, sources have indicated.

Context of Political Rule

For the past thirty years, Eritrea has remained a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is among the world's most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been an absence of independent media since the closure of private publications 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 called for that the president put into effect the proposed constitution and hold open elections.

Per rights groups, 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 recently passed 32 years in office and has still never faced an electoral contest.