Olympian and Other Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Relatives Report

A group of thirteen people held for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by relatives of the prisoners.

Those released were a number of well-known individuals, such as elderly Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

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

Circumstances Surrounding the Detention

An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a senior state security official in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, according to the source. A number have been freed over the years, but roughly two dozen stayed imprisoned.

Profile of an Athlete

Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within 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 international recognition over the past decade.

List of Released

Those released with 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 state security officer were also freed.

The Eritrean government has remained silent concerning the releases.

Many of them are in poor health and this may be the reason why they have been freed now.

Families were prohibited to see the prisoners throughout their detention, the family members said.

Global Criticism and Detention Environment

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

Mai Serwa facility, situated 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.

Background on Government Control

For the past thirty years, Eritrea has remained a one-party state with no functioning constitution. It is among the world's 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 detained 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 conduct democratic polls.

According to 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.

Aged 79, the president recently passed 32 years in office and has still never faced an electoral contest.