A group of thirteen people held for over 18 years without being formally charged in Eritrea have been freed from a infamous military prison, according to relatives of the detainees.
Those released were a number of prominent figures, such as 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and businessman 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.
A source who was once detained in Mai Serwa indicated the prisoners were arrested in October 2007 following an assassination attempt on a senior state security official in the government.
Approximately thirty individuals were initially detained, per the source. Some have been released in the intervening period, but about 20 remained in custody.
Zeragaber competed 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 global acclaim in recent years.
The individuals freed with Zeragaber include prominent businessmen Tesfalem Mengsteab and Bekure Mebrahtu as well as the Habtemariam brothers - David, an engineer, and Matthews, a geometrist.
Six senior police officers and an internal security agent were released as well.
The Eritrean government has remained silent regarding the releases.
Many of them are in poor health and this could explain why they have been released now.
Families were prohibited to visit the prisoners during their detention, the family members reported.
United Nations bodies and human rights groups have consistently criticized the Eritrean government of gross human rights violations, including ill-treatment, forced disappearance and the detention of many 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, according to reports.
For the past thirty years, Eritrea has remained a one-party state with no functioning constitution. It is among the world's most militarized countries, with indefinite military conscription.
There has been no free press since the closure 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 demanded that the president implement the proposed constitution and conduct democratic polls.
According to rights groups, 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 president recently passed 32 years in office and has still never faced an election.
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