Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Family Members Report

A group of thirteen people held for more than 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been released from a infamous military detention facility, according to family members of the prisoners.

Those released were a number of prominent figures, including 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its harsh conditions and where many inmates are considered political prisoners.

Circumstances Surrounding the Detention

An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 after 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 in the intervening period, but about 20 stayed imprisoned.

Profile of an Olympian

Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia.

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

List of 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 surveyor.

Six senior police officers and an state security officer 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 could explain why they have been released at this time.

Families were prohibited to visit the prisoners during their detention, the family members reported.

International Criticism and Detention Environment

The UN and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the detention of many thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

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

Background on Government 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 an absence of independent media since the shutdown of independent newspapers 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 called for that the president put into effect the proposed constitution and hold open elections.

According to advocacy organizations, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed.

Aged 79, the leader marked 32 years in office and has yet to participate in an electoral contest.