A group of thirteen people held for over 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been freed from a notorious military detention facility, as stated by relatives of the prisoners.
Among those freed were a number of well-known individuals, including elderly Olympic athlete and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot.
They had been held at Mai Serwa prison, known for its severe environment and where many detainees are considered detained for political reasons.
An unnamed source who was previously held in Mai Serwa stated the prisoners were taken into custody in October 2007 after an assassination attempt on a high-ranking internal security officer in the government.
Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, per the source. A number have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 stayed imprisoned.
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 cycling culture and its cyclists have increasingly earned global acclaim in recent years.
Those released with Zeragaber include prominent businessmen 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 not issued any statement concerning the releases.
A significant number of the former detainees are sick and this could explain why they have been freed now.
Families were prohibited to visit the prisoners throughout their incarceration, the relatives reported.
United Nations bodies and rights organizations have consistently criticized 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, Asmara, has grown over the years to incorporate 20 metal shipping containers in which prisoners are held incommunicado, according to reports.
For the past thirty years, Eritrea has continued to be a one-party state with no functioning constitution. 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 detention of most of their editors and journalists in 2001.
This was when the government arrested 15 politicians referred to as the G-15, along with 16 journalists, after they demanded that the head of state implement the draft constitution and hold open elections.
Per rights groups, the status and location of 11 of the politicians, as well as the journalists allegedly having links to the G-15, remain unknown.
Aged 79, the president marked 32 years in office and has yet to participate in an election.
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