FEYISA LILESA could not return home with the rest of the Ethiopian team after making an anti-government gesture in protest over the killing of protesters from the Oromo region.
The marathon runner crossed the line in second place, with his arms raised above his head in solidarity with Oromo activists.
LILESA repeated the gesture later at a press conference, saying his life would be in danger if he returned home.
At the time of the incident, Ethiopia’s Information Minister GETACHEW REDA the athlete had nothing to fear and would be welcomed home as a hero.
However; a funding campaign has since been set up, and has grossed one hundred and fifty thousand dollars already, to help pay LILESA’s legal fees and support his family back home in Ethiopia.
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