Olympian and Several Eritreans Freed After Nearly Two Decades Without Trial, Family Members Report

A group of thirteen people held for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been released from a notorious military detention facility, according to relatives of the detainees.

Those released were a number of well-known individuals, including elderly Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.

They had been held at Mai Serwa prison, renowned for its harsh conditions and where many detainees are believed to be detained for political reasons.

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

A source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated 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, per the source. A number have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 remained in custody.

The Story of an Athlete

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, possesses a deep-rooted cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade.

List of Freed

The individuals freed with Zeragaber include prominent businessmen Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a geometrist.

Six senior police officers and an state security officer 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 may be the reason why they have been freed at this time.

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

Global Condemnation and Detention Environment

The UN and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing torture, enforced disappearances and the imprisonment of many thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.

Mai Serwa prison, 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 Political Control

Over the last three decades, Eritrea has continued to be a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription.

There has been no free press since the shutdown of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.

This occurred after the government arrested 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the president implement the proposed constitution and hold open elections.

Per advocacy organizations, 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 still never faced an election.