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

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

Those released were several prominent figures, including elderly Olympic athlete and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its severe environment and where many detainees are considered political prisoners.

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 following an assassination attempt on a high-ranking state security official in the government.

Around 30 people were initially detained, per the source. A number have been released over the years, but about 20 stayed imprisoned.

The Story of an Olympian

Zeragaber raced 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 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.

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

The Eritrean government has remained silent regarding the releases.

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

Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives reported.

International Condemnation and Detention Environment

The UN and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing torture, forced disappearance and the detention of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa facility, situated 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, 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 among the world's most militarised societies, 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 known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the head of state put into effect the draft constitution and hold open elections.

Per advocacy organizations, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

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