Four Eritrean athletes claim asylum following London 2012 Olympics, a number of other African athletes reported "missing"
Four Eritrean athletes competing in the London 2012 Olympics have sought asylum in the UK, The Guardian reported today.
According to The Guardian, 18-year-old Weynay Ghebresilasie is the only one to speak publicly about the decision to claim asylum.
The Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change says that three other Eritrean athletes including team's only female athlete, Rehaset Mehari, were not willing to come forward to speak due to fears of retribution against their families.
Weynay Ghebresilasie told The Guardian: "There are reasons to be concerned about our families because the regime is unpredictable and is likely to treat my actions as a betrayal ... If someone is being accused of illegally leaving the country it's not unusual for a fine to be imposed on their family, or for their next of kin to be detained."
The athlete says that the harsh conditions and lack of basic human rights in Eritrea compelled him to seek asylum.
The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that some 21 athletes were either "missing" or have claimed asylum following the Olympics.
According to the Daily Telegraph, these include three from Guinea, three from Cote d'Ivoire, four from DR Congo, seven from Cameroon, three from Sudan and one from Ethiopia.
The Daily Telegraph says that, of those, two Sudanese and one Ethiopian have claimed asylum.
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