Ethiopian Olympic marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa crossed his arms above -
a gesture made by the Oromo people who have suffered brutal police
crackdowns. PHOTO | BBC
By BBC
In Summary
- He crossed his hands above his head as he finished the race - a gesture made by Ethiopia's Oromo people who have suffered brutal police crackdowns.
- There has been a wave of protests in Ethiopia in recent months over a series of frustrations, including attempts by the governments to reallocate land in the Oromo and Amhara regions.
- The California-based organiser had initially set a target of $10,000 but it was exceeded within an hour.
A crowd-funding campaign
has raised more than $40,000 (£30,000) to help Ethiopia's Olympic
marathon silver medallist Feyisa Lilesa seek asylum.
He crossed his hands above his
head as he finished the race - a gesture made by Ethiopia's Oromo people
who have suffered brutal police crackdowns.
He says he may be killed if he goes home but Ethiopia's government says he will be welcomed as a hero.
However, state media is not showing photos of him crossing the line.
There has been a wave of
protests in Ethiopia in recent months over a series of frustrations,
including attempts by the governments to reallocate land in the Oromo
and Amhara regions.
US-based Human Rights Watch says security forces have killed more than 400 Oromo protesters, a figure the government disputes.
Rule 50 of the Olympic charter
bans political displays or protests and the IOC say they are gathering
information about the case.
ALSO READ: Blood and terror on the streets as protests grip Ethiopia, govt vows to 'act without mercy'
According to BBC's Emmanuel Igunza in neighbouring Kenya, Mr
Lilesa is being described by some as the bravest Olympian at the Rio
Games for his anti-government protest, but he now faces the prospect of a
life in exile.
Within hours of his protest, a crowd-funding page was set up,
saying the runner had displayed "extraordinary heroism" and that he had
become an "international symbol" for the Oromo protests.
The California-based organiser had initially set a target of $10,000 but it was exceeded within an hour.
"We raised the bar to $25,000 and that too was exceeded in a few hours," Solomon Ungashe wrote on Facebook.
After the race, Mr Lilesa explained why, as an Oromo, he supported the protests about land and resources.
"The Ethiopian government is killing my people so I stand with
all protests anywhere as Oromo is my tribe. My relatives are in prison
and if they talk about democratic rights they are killed," he said
A legal team hired by Ethiopians in US is headed to Rio to try
and help Mr Lilesa, who has a wife and two children in Ethiopia, with a
request to seek asylum in the US.
But Information Minister Getachew Reda told the BBC the
government had no reason to arrest him and it respected his political
opinion.
He also said none of Mr Lelisa's relatives had been jailed over the Oromo protests.
Ethiopian state-owned television station EBC Channel 3 covered
the race live, including the finish, but did not repeat the clip in
subsequent bulletins - focussing instead on the winner Kenya's Eliud
Kipchoge
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