http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37154374
Ethiopia 'hero' runner gets asylum donations after Oromo protest sign
4 hours ago
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.
Africa Live: More on this and other stories
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.
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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.
_
The BBC's Emmanuel Igunza in neighbouring Kenya says Mr Feyisa 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.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionThe "x" symbol is used by
people across the world, including in New York in January,
demonstrating against deaths at Oromo protests...Image
copyrightAFPImage caption... and in Johannesburg four days ago
After the race, Mr Feyisa 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 Feyisa, 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 Feyisa'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.
Received on Mon Aug 22 2016 - 15:28:27 EDT