Olympian and other Eritreans freed after 18 years without trial, relatives tell the BBC

Eritrea releases Olympian Zeragaber Gebrehiwot and others held without trial for 18 years, including businessmen and senior officers, from Mai Serwa prison. The detainees were arrested in 2007 after an assassination attempt, and many were political prisoners in the harsh conditions of the military prison. Eritrea has a history of human rights violations, with indefinite military conscription and no functional constitution, under President Isaias Afwerki's 32-year rule.