Feyisa Lilesa: I just didn't have the words to explain to my wife why I'd put her and our children in danger

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It looked innocuous and many did not even know what it meant. After 26 miles of gruelling 競争, Ethiopian Feyisa Lilesa approached the Sambadrome, Rio’s carnival 発生地 and the Olympic マラソン finishing line, in second place.

Then he raised his 武器 and crossed them. And then again, repeating the gesture all the way over the last 100 metres to the finish line. With an Olympic silver メダル 安全な・保証するd, 祝賀 might have been 推定する／予想するd. But as they watched 6,000 miles away 支援する home, his wife and family were 恐れるing the consequences of that simple 行為／法令／行動する.

Unknown to them, Lilesa, 27, one of the favourites for next Sunday’s London マラソン, had been running with a goal which より勝るd the individual glory of winning an Olympic メダル. He had told nobody of his 計画（する）, not even his wife and family.

Ethiopian Feyisa Lilesa made a political 声明 as he crossed the finishing line in Rio

The crossed 武器 were a signal of 抗議する about the 迫害 of his people, the Oromo, in Ethiopia, a country riven by political 暴力／激しさ and 論争, where 国際アムネスティ 報告（する）／憶測s at least 800 抗議する人s have been killed. 恩赦，大赦 has 勧めるd the Ethiopian 政府 to end 集まり 逮捕（する）s and beatings, 同様に as the unlawful 拘留，拘置 of 新聞記者／雑誌記者s and 政治家，政治屋s making the Oromo 原因（となる）.

‘You can’t even think in your 長，率いる without feeling 怪しげな that someone is listening to your thoughts, let alone speaking or telling someone,’ says Lilesa. ‘So I made a 決定／判定勝ち（する） that I had to keep it to myself. Because if I was to tell someone ― even my family ― and the word gets out, I would not even be able to go to Rio. So I went there having not told a 選び出す／独身 person.’

That made his first phone call to his wife, Iftu Mulisa, and children, daughter Soko, five, and son Sora, three, a traumatic 事件／事情／状勢. While many Oromo people were jubilant their 原因（となる） was 存在 publicised, his wife was aghast. There was no question in his mind of returning to Ethiopia. However, his family were stuck there.

‘When I first called her I just didn’t have the words to tell her and I didn’t have the words to say to her,’ he says. ‘It was a challenge 最初 just talking to her and explaining my 決定／判定勝ち（する） and why I didn’t 協議する with them.

Lilesa with his wife, daughter Soko, five, and son Sora in their apartment in Arizona

‘But she understood the importance of this. The problem in the country has reached every 世帯. They understand the importance and what it means. Their two main differences were that I did not 協議する with them when I was planning this and not having a 固める／コンクリート 計画（する） for them or the 未来 and what might happen to them.

‘This gesture was started by university students and people knew about it. A lot of people were 逮捕（する）d essentially for showing that gesture. Coincidentally, that same day, the 政府 stopped a 決起大会／結集させる in Addis Ababa. People went home because the city was （海，煙などが）飲み込むd by 軍の 軍隊s and they happened to be watching TV.

‘The race was 存在 broadcast on 明言する／公表する television when it happened, the first time I showed the gesture. But since I kept repeating it, they quickly 削減（する） the live 伝達／伝染 and went 支援する to the studio. People understood why the 伝達／伝染 was 削減（する） 突然の.

‘Of course my family was 脅すd and they were shocked because they didn’t know what would happen to me. I had 恐れるs for my family. But a lot of people were getting killed. I knew it was just a 事柄 of time before it reached my family. It has touched almost every 世帯.

Lilesa's wife was aghast that he had publicised the 迫害 of the Oromo people

‘In fact, my brother-in-法律 was one of the people 逮捕（する）d and taken away from university and he remains in 刑務所，拘置所 to this day. Young people were 存在 killed, 年輩の were 存在 killed. My friends were in 刑務所，拘置所 and I had other friends who were 存在 killed. So my family also 恐れるd the same 運命／宿命. I 恐れるd they would be 影響する／感情d one day and that they had not was just that it was not their turn.

‘But 一般に at the time, I didn’t really care much about my life and the consequences this would bring to my family, because I knew the 運命／宿命 other people were going through in that country.’

Lilesa knew he needed a メダル for his 計画（する） to 後継する. ‘If I didn’t 勝利，勝つ a メダル no one would have noticed me. No one would have seen my 抗議する. It would not have had the 衝撃. No one would have 現実に believed my story and I could have 潜在的に returned to Ethiopia and bad things might have happened to me. So winning the メダル was part of my 計画（する）.’

He was 簡潔に in no man’s land in Rio de Janiero. Though he says many t eam-mates and 公式の／役人s supported his 抗議する, he was persona 非，不，無 grata. ‘They don’t even want to see my 直面する, so I don’t 推定する／予想する them to 許す me to run for the country,’ he says.

The Ethiopian 政府 have encouraged him to return home, 説 he would be welcome. He does not believe them. ‘I didn’t have 恐れるs about my life but I did have 恐れるs that I might not be able to compete,’ he says. ‘I thought this was the end of my career as an 競技者.’

The 27-year-old is one of the favourites for next Sunday’s London マラソン

恐れるs for his family and career have now been 演説（する）／住所d. Ethiopian 追放するs arranged a flight from Brazil to the US and he is now based in Flagstaff, Arizona, a magnet for 最高の，を越す-class distance 走者s, where he can train 適切に.

Last month he won the New York Half マラソン in 準備 for the London マラソン. More 意味ありげに, in February his family were finally permitted to join him in the US.

The 再会 was understandably an emotional 事件／事情／状勢, Soko sprinting into her father’s 武器 when she finally saw him at the airport. ‘This was very, very important,’ he sa ys. ‘And at least my mind is in one place in the sense that this is one 負わせる 解除するd off my 支援する. Now that at least I don’t have to worry about the safety of my children.

‘Also, I was living alone and I didn’t have much help. Now that my wife is here she can at least help me with some things I need. But the problem that put me in this position ― the problem of my people ― remains. My worries and 関心s about that remain.’

His 抗議するs will continue. He is 批判的な of those icons of Ethiopian 運動競技のs, あられ／賞賛する Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, the latter of whom he will 直面する in London, who he says have 利益d from keeping 静かな and not criticising the 政府.

‘I admire あられ／賞賛する as a 走者, as 支持する／優勝者 and as someone who broke a world 記録，記録的な／記録する,’ says Lilesa. ‘But on the other 手渡す rich people are 一般に benevolent and they give 支援する to their people and they help the poor. In Ethiopia, the rich people we have are selfish and greedy and they live a parasitic life where they attach themselves to the 政府.’

A 代表者／国会議員 of Gebrselassie and Bekele 答える／応じるd by 説 that such 批評s did not take account of the 複雑にするd and volatile political 状況／情勢 in Ethiopia, where they both still live.

LILESA wants people, 特に the British, to know more about the 苦境 of the Oromo in Ethiopia. ‘Our people are 存在 拘留するd, hundreds remain in 刑務所，拘置所. Others are 存在 killed. Over the past year, people have been dropping like leaves. Others are running away to save their lives ― to South Africa ― and have died along the way.

‘The Oromo people are the 大多数 in my country. They have a lot 資源s ーに関して／ーの点でs of the economy. にもかかわらず that, we don’t have the political 力／強力にする. They have lost all their freedoms and 権利s.

‘I want people in England to put pre ssure on their 政府 because they do 供給する the biggest 量 of 援助（する） to the Ethiopian 政府, to use that てこ入れ／借入資本 not to cosy up to the Ethiopian 支配者s but to change their behaviour and to 許す our people to have their freedom and 権利s.

‘We don’t hate the people of Ethiopia. Our fight and 問題／発行するs are with the system. What I 表明するd is based on my experience. I’m speaking about the 不正s I saw all my life. The world may not have known... until now.’

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