🔗 Share this article Olympian and Other Eritreans Released After Nearly Two Decades Without Facing Charges, Relatives Report Zeragaber Gebrehiwot was 24 when he took part in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Thirteen individuals detained for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by relatives of the prisoners. Among those freed were a number of well-known individuals, such as 69-year-old Olympic athlete and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its harsh conditions and where many detainees are considered detained for political reasons. Details of the Detention A source who was previously held in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were arrested 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. Some have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 remained in custody. The Story of an Athlete Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. The nation in the Horn of Africa, which achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong tradition of cycling and its cyclists have steadily gained international recognition in recent years. List of Freed The individuals freed alongside Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a surveyor. A half-dozen high-level police officials and an state security officer were also freed. The Eritrean government has made no official comment concerning the releases of the detainees. A significant number of the former detainees are in poor health and this could explain why they have been released at this time. Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners during their incarceration, the family members reported. Global Criticism and Detention Environment The UN and rights organizations have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the detention of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions. Mai Serwa facility, 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 incommunicado, sources have indicated. Background on Political Control For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is among the world's most militarised societies, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration. There has been no free press since the closure of private publications and detention of most of their staff in 2001. This was when the government detained 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the president implement the draft constitution and conduct democratic polls. According to rights groups, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, remain unknown. Now 79 years old, the president marked 32 years in power and has still never faced an election.
Zeragaber Gebrehiwot was 24 when he took part in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Thirteen individuals detained for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by relatives of the prisoners. Among those freed were a number of well-known individuals, such as 69-year-old Olympic athlete and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its harsh conditions and where many detainees are considered detained for political reasons. Details of the Detention A source who was previously held in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were arrested 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. Some have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 remained in custody. The Story of an Athlete Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. The nation in the Horn of Africa, which achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong tradition of cycling and its cyclists have steadily gained international recognition in recent years. List of Freed The individuals freed alongside Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a surveyor. A half-dozen high-level police officials and an state security officer were also freed. The Eritrean government has made no official comment concerning the releases of the detainees. A significant number of the former detainees are in poor health and this could explain why they have been released at this time. Relatives were not allowed to visit the prisoners during their incarceration, the family members reported. Global Criticism and Detention Environment The UN and rights organizations have long accused the Eritrean government of serious abuses, encompassing ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the detention of tens of thousands of people in inhumane conditions. Mai Serwa facility, 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 incommunicado, sources have indicated. Background on Political Control For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a single-party nation with no active constitutional framework. It is among the world's most militarised societies, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration. There has been no free press since the closure of private publications and detention of most of their staff in 2001. This was when the government detained 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they called for that the president implement the draft constitution and conduct democratic polls. According to rights groups, the fate and whereabouts of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, remain unknown. Now 79 years old, the president marked 32 years in power and has still never faced an election.