Race ace ‘would be welcome back home’

LONDON: The Ethiopian government has given a public assurance the Olympic marathon silver medallist, Feyisa Lilesa, would be safe if he returns to Ethiopia, following his protest against the treatment of his Oromo people as he crossed the finish line.

Lilesa crossed his arms above his head in an “X”, a sign widely used as a symbol of Oromo resistance. The champion runner did not return home after the Olympics, fearing for his safety even though the government said he would not be punished.

“He is always welcome,” Ethiopia’s communications minister, Getachew Reda, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding that Lilesa is an “Ethiopian hero” who is “more than welcome back home”.

On Thursday, Lilesa said he feared his life would be at risk if he returned and did not trust assurances he would be safe.

“They kill and they don’t tell the world they kill, they jail and they don’t tell anybody, so how can I believe that?” he said.

Lilesa said he had not been contacted directly by any government official but believed he could not return home once he had made his protest gesture.

“I knew I would be jailed or killed. If not, I would never be allowed out of that country and allowed to participate in any international competition or race at all. I am quite sure those things would happen to me.”

The 26-year-old athlete said he had been given temporary leave to stay by the Brazilian authorities but had not decided yet where he was going to seek asylum. – Reuters

Feyisa Lilesa