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

A group of thirteen people held for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by family members of the detainees.

Among those freed were several well-known individuals, such as 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

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

Circumstances Surrounding the Detention

An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 following an assassination attempt on a high-ranking internal security officer in the government.

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

The Story of an Olympian

Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia.

The nation in the Horn of Africa, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong tradition of cycling and its riders have steadily gained 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 surveyor.

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

The Eritrean government has remained silent concerning the releases of the detainees.

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

Families were prohibited to see the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives said.

Global Criticism and Detention Environment

United Nations bodies and human rights groups have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

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

Context of Government Rule

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has remained a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is among the world's most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been no free press since the closure of independent newspapers and detention 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 demanded that the president put into effect the proposed constitution and hold open elections.

According to rights groups, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

Aged 79, the president marked 32 years in office and has yet to participate in an electoral contest.