Olympic Athlete and Several Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Relatives Say
A group of thirteen people detained for over 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a notorious military detention facility, according to relatives of the detainees.
Among those freed were several well-known individuals, including 69-year-old Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.
They had been incarcerated at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its harsh conditions and where many inmates are considered political prisoners.
Details of the Detention
An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 following an attempted assassination on a senior state security official in the government.
Around 30 people were originally arrested, per the source. Some have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 stayed imprisoned.
Profile of an Olympian
Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was part of 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 steadily gained global acclaim in recent years.
List of Released
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 surveyor.
Six senior police officers and an state security officer were also freed.
The Eritrean government has remained silent concerning the releases.
A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this could explain why they have been released now.
Families were not allowed to visit the prisoners during their detention, the family members reported.
International Condemnation and Prison Conditions
The UN and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the detention of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances.
Mai Serwa prison, situated about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has expanded over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, according to reports.
Context of Government Control
Over the last three decades, 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 closure of independent newspapers and detention of most of their staff 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 head of state implement the draft constitution and conduct democratic polls.
Per rights groups, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, remain unknown.
Now 79 years old, the president recently passed 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an election.