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Runner Fears for Life After Showing Solidarity with Ethiopian Protesters

By Salem Solomon August 22, 2016

As Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia reached the finish line at the Rio Olympics marathon Sunday, he crossed his wrists above his head while clenching his fists, making a symbol that has become the rallying cry for protests across the Oromia regions in Ethiopia.

Speaking to reporters after the race, Lilesa, who won the silver medal in the event, said he now fears for his life or might be thrown in jail if he returns to his home country.

"If I go back to Ethiopia maybe they will kill me. If not kill me, they will put me in prison. I have not decided yet, but maybe I will move to another country," he said.

Political message

Lilesa was not the first to use the world's biggest athletic stage to send a political message. Some compared his gesture to what African-American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos did at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City when they raised their clenched fists on the podium wearing black gloves in solidarity with the Black Power movement.

Some have also suggested that the gesture violates the Olympic Charter which bans any "kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda" inside Olympic competition sites. Smith and Carlos were suspended for their gesture, but Lilesa received his medal without incident.

For the record, Ethiopia's information minister called Lilesa a hero and made no mention of his protest in a congratulatory tweet to Ethiopian athletes Sunday.

Lilesa isn't the first Ethiopian athlete to consider seeking protection due to political issues. One of the athletes competing in Rio as a non-state refugee, Yonas Kinde, a marathoner who also hails from Ethiopia, has asked for help. He says that going back to Ethiopia would be dangerous and fears for his life.

Another four Ethiopian athletes defected after traveling to participate in the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon and sought asylum.

Lilesa's gesture came following a weekend of protests in the city of Gonder that included deadly clashes between protesters and Ethiopian security forces.

Other protests which started in last November in the Oromia region resurfaced early in August across the country. They are centered mainly around the Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups who are demanding governance reforms and increased autonomy from Ethiopia's federal government.