Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Trial, Relatives Report
A group of thirteen people detained for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by family members of the prisoners.
Among those freed were several well-known individuals, including elderly Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.
They had been incarcerated at Mai Serwa detention center, known for its severe environment and where many inmates are believed to be political prisoners.
Details of the Detention
A source who was once detained in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 after an attempted assassination on a senior internal security officer in the government.
Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. A number have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 remained in custody.
The Story of an Olympian
Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia.
The mountainous country, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, possesses a deep-rooted cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned global acclaim over the past decade.
List of Freed
Those released alongside Zeragaber comprise 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 internal security agent were released as well.
The Eritrean government has remained silent regarding the releases of the detainees.
Many of them are sick and this could explain why they have been freed now.
Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives reported.
Global Criticism 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 many thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.
Mai Serwa prison, located about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has expanded over the years to include 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held without contact, sources have indicated.
Context of Political Control
Over the last three decades, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarized countries, with indefinite military conscription.
There has been no free press since the shutdown of private publications and detention 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 head of state put into effect the draft constitution and hold open elections.
According to rights groups, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, remain unknown.
Now 79 years old, the leader recently passed 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an electoral contest.