Olympic Athlete and Several Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Relatives Report

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

Among those freed were several prominent figures, including 69-year-old Olympic athlete and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, known for its severe environment 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 stated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an attempted assassination on a high-ranking state security official in the government.

Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, per the source. Some have been freed over the years, but about 20 remained in custody.

Profile of an Olympian

Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia.

The nation in the Horn of Africa, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, possesses a deep-rooted cycling culture and its riders have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade.

List of Freed

Those released alongside Zeragaber include prominent businessmen Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a surveyor.

Six senior police officers and an internal security agent were also freed.

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

A significant number of the former detainees are in poor health and this could explain why they have been freed at this time.

Relatives were prohibited to see the prisoners during their detention, the relatives said.

Global Criticism and Prison Conditions

The UN and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing torture, forced disappearance and the detention of many thousands of people in inhumane conditions.

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

Context of Political Control

For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. 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 independent newspapers and detention of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.

This occurred after the government detained 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the head of state put into effect the draft constitution and conduct democratic polls.

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, remain unknown.

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