By Engidu Woldie
ESAT News (August 23, 2016)
A crowd funding has raised over 77,000 dollars in a little over 24 hours after Olympic silver medalist Feyisa Lilesa crossed his wrists at the finish line in Rio on Sunday to bring the repression of his people to the attention of the world community.
Solomon Ungashe who coordinates the crowd funding on the social media said in his Facebook post that the goal was to reach 100,000 by Tuesday.
“Two members of the support team has arrived in Rio de Janeiro to meet with Feyisa Lelisa and provide the support he needs,” said Ungashe.
The athlete meanwhile called on all Ethiopians to come together as one and remove the brutal regime.
The athlete who spoke to ESAT also challenged fellow athletes and other Ethiopians to protest the killings and mass incarceration perpetrated by the regime.
Lilesa instantly got the attention of the international media and was the headline in the major newspapers across the globe. The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Washington Post and all the major British and Australian newspapers carried his story of heroic deeds highlighting the brutality of the minority regime in Ethiopia that has killed hundreds and imprisoned tens of thousands of people in the last one year.
Lilesa told ESAT that the fact that he ceased the opportunity to send a message to the world has given him more satisfaction than the silver medal he won.
He said he has seen the brutality of the regime himself when he paid visits to his relatives unlawfully incarcerated by the regime.
“I have no words to describe the horror,” Lilesa said.