Eritrean Olympic Cyclist Freed After 18-Year Detention Without Trial

Eritrean authorities have released a former Olympic cyclist and 12 other detainees after holding them for 18 years without charge or trial, family members report. The group included ex-athlete Zeragaber Gebrehiwot, who competed for Ethiopia in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Relatives told the BBC that officials freed the 13 men from a prison in the capital, Asmara. International human rights groups have long criticized conditions at the facility. The Eritrean government has not commented on the releases. The country's justice system remains opaque, with an unknown number of political prisoners detained indefinitely. Family members expressed relief but noted the profound personal cost of the nearly two-decade imprisonment.