Ethiopia's Lilesa Makes Protest Gesture at Marathon Finish

Published by The New Times on August 22, 2016

An Olympic marathon runner from Ethiopia staged a daring protest against his home government when he crossed the line in Rio on Sunday.

As he took the silver medal, Feyisa Lilesa crossed his arms above - a gesture made by the Oromo people who have suffered brutal police crackdowns.

Lilesa is from Oromia, home to most of Ethiopia's 35 million Oromo people. He repeated the protest gesture later at a press conference, saying his life would be in danger if he returned home.

Human rights groups say that Ethiopian security forces have killed hundreds of people in recent weeks as they crack down on anti-government protests.