Olympian and Other Eritreans Released After Nearly Two Decades Without Trial, Family Members Say
Thirteen individuals held for over 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by family members of the detainees.
Those released were several prominent figures, such as elderly Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.
They had been incarcerated at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its severe environment and where many detainees are believed to be political prisoners.
Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest
An unnamed source who was once detained in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an attempted assassination on a high-ranking state security official in the government.
Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, per the source. Some have been freed in the intervening period, but about 20 stayed imprisoned.
The Story of an Athlete
Zeragaber competed 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, has a strong cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned global acclaim over the past decade.
Those Among the Released
Those released alongside Zeragaber comprise 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 internal security agent were also freed.
The Eritrean government has remained silent concerning the releases.
Many of them are in poor health and this could explain why they have been released now.
Families were not allowed to see the prisoners during their detention, the family members reported.
International Criticism and Prison Conditions
United Nations bodies and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing torture, enforced disappearances and the detention of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions.
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.
Context of Government Control
For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no functioning constitution. It is among the world's most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription.
There has been an absence of independent media since the shutdown of private publications and detention 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 head of state put into effect the proposed constitution and conduct democratic polls.
Per advocacy organizations, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, remain unknown.
Aged 79, the leader recently passed 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an election.
