Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Trial, Relatives Say
Thirteen individuals detained for more than 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a notorious military detention facility, as stated by family members of the prisoners.
Among those freed were several well-known individuals, including 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.
They had been held at Mai Serwa prison, renowned for its severe environment and where many inmates are considered detained for political reasons.
Circumstances Surrounding the Detention
A source who was once detained in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 following an attempted assassination on a high-ranking state security official in the government.
Around 30 people were initially detained, per the source. A number have been freed in the intervening period, but roughly two dozen stayed imprisoned.
Profile of an Olympian
Zeragaber raced 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, possesses a deep-rooted tradition of cycling and its cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade.
List of Released
The individuals freed alongside Zeragaber include prominent businessmen 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 remained silent concerning the releases of the detainees.
Many of them are sick and this may be the reason why they have been released now.
Relatives were prohibited to visit the prisoners during their incarceration, the relatives reported.
International Condemnation and Detention Environment
United Nations bodies and human rights groups have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the imprisonment 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 include 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held without contact, sources have indicated.
Background on Political Rule
For the past thirty years, Eritrea has remained a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is among the world's most militarised societies, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration.
There has been no free press since the shutdown of private publications and arrest of most of their staff in 2001.
This occurred after the government arrested 15 politicians known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the president put into effect the draft constitution and hold open elections.
According to rights groups, the fate and whereabouts 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 still never faced an electoral contest.
