🔗 Share this article Olympic Athlete and Several Eritreans Released After 18 Years Without Facing Charges, Family Members Say Zeragaber Gebrehiwot competed at age 24 when he participated in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. A group of thirteen people held for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been released from a notorious military prison, as stated by relatives of the detainees. Among those freed were a number of prominent figures, including elderly Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, 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 taken into custody in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a senior 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 remained in custody. Profile of an Athlete Zeragaber raced 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 tradition of cycling and its cyclists have steadily gained international recognition in recent years. List of Freed Those released with Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a geometrist. 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 may be the reason why they have been released now. Families were not allowed to see the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the family members said. Global Criticism and Detention Environment The UN and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing torture, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of many thousands of people in inhumane conditions. Mai Serwa prison, situated about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has expanded over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, sources have indicated. Background on Political Rule For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription. There has been an absence of independent media since the closure of independent newspapers and detention of most of their editors and journalists in 2001. This occurred after the government detained 15 politicians known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the head of state implement the proposed constitution and hold open elections. According to advocacy organizations, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed. Aged 79, the leader recently passed 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an electoral contest.
Zeragaber Gebrehiwot competed at age 24 when he participated in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. A group of thirteen people held for more than 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been released from a notorious military prison, as stated by relatives of the detainees. Among those freed were a number of prominent figures, including elderly Olympic athlete and entrepreneur Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been held at Mai Serwa detention center, 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 taken into custody in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a senior 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 remained in custody. Profile of an Athlete Zeragaber raced 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 tradition of cycling and its cyclists have steadily gained international recognition in recent years. List of Freed Those released with Zeragaber comprise notable entrepreneurs Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a geometrist. 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 may be the reason why they have been released now. Families were not allowed to see the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the family members said. Global Criticism and Detention Environment The UN and rights organizations have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, encompassing torture, forced disappearance and the imprisonment of many thousands of people in inhumane conditions. Mai Serwa prison, situated about 9km north-west of the capital, Asmara, has expanded over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, sources have indicated. Background on Political Rule For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a one-party state with no active constitutional framework. It is one of the most militarised societies, with indefinite military conscription. There has been an absence of independent media since the closure of independent newspapers and detention of most of their editors and journalists in 2001. This occurred after the government detained 15 politicians known as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the head of state implement the proposed constitution and hold open elections. According to advocacy organizations, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists accused of links to the G-15, are still unconfirmed. Aged 79, the leader recently passed 32 years in power and has yet to participate in an electoral contest.