Olympian and Other Eritreans Freed After Nearly Two Decades Without Facing Charges, Family Members Say

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

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

They had been held at Mai Serwa prison, known for its severe environment and where many inmates are believed to be 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 assassination attempt on a high-ranking state security official in the government.

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

Profile of an Athlete

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, possesses a deep-rooted tradition of cycling and its riders have increasingly earned global acclaim over the past decade.

Those Among the Freed

The individuals freed 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 also freed.

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 released now.

Families were prohibited to visit the prisoners throughout their detention, the relatives reported.

International Criticism and Prison Conditions

The UN and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing torture, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

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

Background on Government Rule

For the past thirty years, Eritrea has remained a single-party nation 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 independent newspapers and arrest 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 put into effect the draft constitution and hold open elections.

Per advocacy organizations, the status and location 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 yet to participate in an election.