🔗 Share this article Olympic Athlete and Other Eritreans Freed After 18 Years Without Trial, Family Members Report Zeragaber Gebrehiwot competed at age 24 when he took part in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. A group of thirteen people held for more than 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by family members of the detainees. Those released were several well-known individuals, such as elderly Olympian cyclist and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been held at Mai Serwa prison, known for its severe environment and where many detainees are believed to be political prisoners. Details of the Detention An unnamed source who was once detained in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a senior state security official in the government. Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, per the source. A number have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 stayed imprisoned. Profile of an Olympian Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. The mountainous country, which achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong tradition of cycling and its riders have increasingly earned global acclaim in recent years. List of Released Those released alongside Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a geometrist. A half-dozen high-level police officials and an internal security agent were also freed. The Eritrean government has remained silent regarding the releases of the detainees. A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this could explain why they have been freed now. Relatives were not allowed to see the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives said. Global Condemnation and Detention Environment The UN and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances. Mai Serwa facility, 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. Context of Government Control For the past thirty years, Eritrea has remained a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarized countries, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration. There has been no free press since the shutdown of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their staff in 2001. This was when the government arrested 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. Per advocacy organizations, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed. Now 79 years old, the president marked 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an election.
Zeragaber Gebrehiwot competed at age 24 when he took part in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. A group of thirteen people held for more than 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military detention facility, as stated by family members of the detainees. Those released were several well-known individuals, such as elderly Olympian cyclist and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been held at Mai Serwa prison, known for its severe environment and where many detainees are believed to be political prisoners. Details of the Detention An unnamed source who was once detained in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a senior state security official in the government. Approximately thirty individuals were originally arrested, per the source. A number have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 stayed imprisoned. Profile of an Olympian Zeragaber raced in the Moscow Games in 1980 when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. The mountainous country, which achieved sovereignty from Ethiopia in 1993, has a strong tradition of cycling and its riders have increasingly earned global acclaim in recent years. List of Released Those released alongside Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an technical professional, and Matthews, a geometrist. A half-dozen high-level police officials and an internal security agent were also freed. The Eritrean government has remained silent regarding the releases of the detainees. A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this could explain why they have been freed now. Relatives were not allowed to see the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives said. Global Condemnation and Detention Environment The UN and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people in deplorable circumstances. Mai Serwa facility, 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. Context of Government Control For the past thirty years, Eritrea has remained a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarized countries, with compulsory national service of unlimited duration. There has been no free press since the shutdown of independent newspapers and arrest of most of their staff in 2001. This was when the government arrested 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. Per advocacy organizations, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed. Now 79 years old, the president marked 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an election.