AS IT IS 2016-09-17 Ethiopian Runner Urges US to Push for Human Rights in His Country

AS IT IS 2016-09-17 Ethiopian Runner Urges US to Push for Human Rights in His Country

Ethiopian runner Feyisa Lelisa is urging the United States Congress to take action in support of Ethiopians protesting against their government.

Lelisa won the silver medal in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last month. He spoke¹ to reporters earlier this week during a visit to Washington, D.C.

He said that the Ethiopian people are “peace-loving, but they have been denied peace for a very long time.” The protesters “are calling for the freedom, (and) democracy that you have here.” He called on the U.S. government to urge the Ethiopian government to make sure that democracy prevails in Ethiopia.

Feyisa Lelisa gained attention throughout the world during the men’s marathon at the Rio Games. He crossed his wrists as a sign of protest at the end of the race, near the finish line.

Lelisa is Oromo and made the sign in support of Oromo protests. Those protests have been taking place in Ethiopia since last November. The demonstrators are raising issues such as land rights and representation in the government.

Since Lelisa crossed his wrists at the race in Rio, other runners have copied this move.

Ebisa Ejigu crossed his arms in the Quebec City Marathon in Canada. Tamiru Demisse is a member of the Ethiopian team at the Paralympics in Rio. He crossed his arms as he won a silver medal in the men’s 1,500 meter race for runners with poor or limited eyesight.

Three U.S. lawmakers presented a measure called House Resolution 861 during Lelisa’s press conference.

The three -- Chris Smith, Keith Ellison and Mike Coffman – say the resolution is called “Supporting human rights and encouraging inclusive governance in Ethiopia.”

The resolution calls on the Ethiopian government to end the use of excessive force by security forces. It urges the government to hold security forces responsible for wrongdoing.

The resolution also calls on the government to investigate the killings² and violence during protests in the Oromia and Amhara areas of Ethiopia.

Eleven civil society organizations have signed the measure.

Lelisa is visiting the United States on a temporary visa. He said he was not seeking asylum³.

Words in This Story

medal – n. a piece of metal often in the form of a coin with designs and words in honor of a special event, a person or an achievement

marathon – n. a running race that is about 42 kilometers long

paralympic – n. a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities

prevails – v. to defeat an opponent, especially in a long conflict or competition

encouraging – v. making something more hopeful, more appealing or likely to happen

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

3 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。