Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Freed After Nearly Two Decades Without Facing Charges, Relatives Report

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

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

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its severe environment and where many inmates are believed to be political prisoners.

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

A source who was previously held in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a senior internal security officer in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, according to the source. A number have been freed over the years, but about 20 remained in custody.

Profile of an Athlete

Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Games 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 cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition in recent years.

List of Freed

Those released with Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a surveyor.

Six senior police officers and an state security officer were released as well.

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

A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this may be the reason why they have been freed at this time.

Families were not allowed to visit the prisoners during their detention, the family members reported.

International Condemnation and Detention Environment

The UN and human rights groups have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the detention of many thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa facility, located about 9km north-west of the capital city, Asmara, has grown over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held without contact, according to reports.

Context of Government Control

For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription.

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

This occurred after the government arrested 15 politicians known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the head of state implement the proposed constitution and conduct democratic polls.

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

Now 79 years old, the president recently passed 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an election.