The Ethiopian marathon runner who made an anti-government gesture at the Rio Games while approaching the finish line will not face prosecution upon his return home and will have “a heroic welcome,” a government spokesman said on Monday, but it was not clear whether the runner would go back.
Feyisa Lilesa on Sunday told reporters that he might be killed or imprisoned if he ever returns to the East African country.
He called protesting inside Ethiopia “very dangerous.”
The silver medalist crossed his wrists in an attempt to draw global attention to recent deadly protests in his home region, Oromia.
He told reporters that Ethiopia’s government is killing his people.
“Oromo is my tribe,” he said. “My relatives are in prison, and if they talk about democratic rights they are killed.”
The crossed-wrists gesture has been widely used by anti-government protesters in recent nationwide demonstrations as a sign of peaceful resistance, and before that by the Muslim community when it revolted against the government. It is meant to symbolize being handcuffed by security forces.
Lilesa “will not face any problems for his political stance,” the government spokesman, Getachew Reda, told the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate. “After all, this is an athlete who secured a silver medal for his country.”
Lilesa told reporters that he would discuss what to do next with family and friends.
Ethiopia’s state broadcaster, EBC, did not rebroadcast images of Lilesa’s gesture. Some people who were watching live and cheering for Lilesa quickly hushed when they saw his gesture.
The Oromo are Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, with about 40 million people. Their region has seen massive anti-government protests since November last year that activists say have left more than 400 dead.
The protests were ignited by the government’s decision to annex Oromia land into the capital, Addis Ababa. The plan has been abandoned, but demonstrations calling for wider freedoms have continued.
Ethiopia’s government, a close security ally of the West, is often accused of silencing dissent, even blocking Internet access at times.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
RSS