🔗 Share this article Olympic Athlete and Several Eritreans Released After Nearly Two Decades Without Facing Charges, Family Members Report Zeragaber Gebrehiwot was 24 when he participated in the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. A group of thirteen people detained for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, according to family members of the detainees. Those released were a number of prominent figures, such as elderly Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been incarcerated at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its severe environment and where many inmates are considered detained for political reasons. Details of the Detention An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an attempted assassination on a senior internal security officer in the government. Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. Some have been released over the years, but about 20 stayed imprisoned. Profile of an Olympian Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia. The nation in the Horn of Africa, which achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, possesses a deep-rooted cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade. List of Released The individuals freed with Zeragaber include notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a surveyor. A half-dozen high-level police officials and an internal security agent were also freed. The Eritrean government has made no official comment regarding the releases. Many of them are in poor health and this may be the reason why they have been freed at this time. Relatives were not allowed to see the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives reported. Global Criticism and Prison Conditions United Nations bodies and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the detention of many thousands of people in deplorable circumstances. Mai Serwa facility, situated about 9km north-west of the capital city, Asmara, has grown over the years to include 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held without contact, according to reports. Background on Political 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 no free press since the closure of private publications and arrest 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 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 accused of links to the G-15, remain unknown. Aged 79, the president marked 32 years in power and has still never faced an electoral contest.
Zeragaber Gebrehiwot was 24 when he participated in the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. A group of thirteen people detained for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, according to family members of the detainees. Those released were a number of prominent figures, such as elderly Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been incarcerated at Mai Serwa detention center, renowned for its severe environment and where many inmates are considered detained for political reasons. Details of the Detention An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an attempted assassination on a senior internal security officer in the government. Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, according to the source. Some have been released over the years, but about 20 stayed imprisoned. Profile of an Olympian Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when Eritrea was a region within Ethiopia. The nation in the Horn of Africa, which achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, possesses a deep-rooted cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned international recognition over the past decade. List of Released The individuals freed with Zeragaber include notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a surveyor. A half-dozen high-level police officials and an internal security agent were also freed. The Eritrean government has made no official comment regarding the releases. Many of them are in poor health and this may be the reason why they have been freed at this time. Relatives were not allowed to see the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives reported. Global Criticism and Prison Conditions United Nations bodies and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of serious abuses, including ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and the detention of many thousands of people in deplorable circumstances. Mai Serwa facility, situated about 9km north-west of the capital city, Asmara, has grown over the years to include 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held without contact, according to reports. Background on Political 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 no free press since the closure of private publications and arrest 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 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 accused of links to the G-15, remain unknown. Aged 79, the president marked 32 years in power and has still never faced an electoral contest.