Olympic Athlete and Several Eritreans Freed After Nearly Two Decades Without Facing Charges, Family Members Report

A group of thirteen people held for over 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a notorious military detention facility, according to relatives of the detainees.

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

They had been incarcerated at Mai Serwa prison, renowned for its harsh conditions and where many detainees are considered detained for political reasons.

Details of the Arrest

An unnamed source who was once detained 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, per the source. A number have been freed over the years, but about 20 stayed imprisoned.

The Story of an Athlete

Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia.

The mountainous country, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned global acclaim in recent years.

Those Among the Released

The individuals freed alongside Zeragaber include notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a geometrist.

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

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

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

Relatives were prohibited to see the prisoners during their incarceration, the family members said.

Global Condemnation and Detention Environment

The UN and rights organizations have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including torture, enforced disappearances and the detention of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

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

Context of Political Control

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

There has been no free press since the shutdown of private publications and detention 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 demanded that the president implement the proposed constitution and conduct democratic polls.

Per rights groups, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, remain unknown.

Now 79 years old, the president recently passed 32 years in power and has still never faced an electoral contest.