đź”— Share this article Olympic Athlete and Several Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Trial, Family Members Report Zeragaber Gebrehiwot competed at age 24 when he took part in the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. A group of thirteen people detained for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military prison, 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 considered political prisoners. Details of the Detention A 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. Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. A number have been freed in the intervening period, but roughly two dozen stayed imprisoned. The Story of an Athlete Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia. The mountainous country, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade. Those Among the Freed Those released alongside Zeragaber include notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a geometrist. Six senior police officers and an state security officer were also freed. The Eritrean government has not issued any statement concerning the releases. Many of them are in poor health and this could explain why they have been freed now. Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the family members reported. International Condemnation and Prison Conditions The UN and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including torture, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions. Mai Serwa prison, situated about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has grown over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, according to reports. Background on Government Control Over the last three decades, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no functioning constitution. It is among the world's most militarized countries, with indefinite military conscription. There has been an absence of independent media since the shutdown of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their editors and journalists in 2001. This was when the government detained 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the president implement the proposed constitution and conduct democratic polls. 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 president recently passed 32 years in office and has yet to participate in an electoral contest.
Zeragaber Gebrehiwot competed at age 24 when he took part in the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. A group of thirteen people detained for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military prison, 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 considered political prisoners. Details of the Detention A 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. Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. A number have been freed in the intervening period, but roughly two dozen stayed imprisoned. The Story of an Athlete Zeragaber competed in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia. The mountainous country, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade. Those Among the Freed Those released alongside Zeragaber include notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a geometrist. Six senior police officers and an state security officer were also freed. The Eritrean government has not issued any statement concerning the releases. Many of them are in poor health and this could explain why they have been freed now. Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the family members reported. International Condemnation and Prison Conditions The UN and human rights groups have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including torture, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions. Mai Serwa prison, situated about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has grown over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, according to reports. Background on Government Control Over the last three decades, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no functioning constitution. It is among the world's most militarized countries, with indefinite military conscription. There has been an absence of independent media since the shutdown of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their editors and journalists in 2001. This was when the government detained 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the president implement the proposed constitution and conduct democratic polls. 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 president recently passed 32 years in office and has yet to participate in an electoral contest.