Almost a decade after being sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, Mbayang Diop’s fate has once again mobilised Senegalese civil society. United in a coalition bringing together human rights advocates, intellectuals and organisations, they have issued a solemn appeal for clemency.
What better occasion than the World Day Against the Death Penalty to draw attention to the Mbayang Diop case, the tragic story of a Senegalese woman who has been on death row in Saudi Arabia for nearly a decade? The organisations involved have approached this legal case with humility. Without challenging the sovereignty of Saudi law, their appeal is addressed above all to people’s consciences, in the hope of saving a human life after ten years in detention.
“We ask the victim’s family for forgiveness. We ask the victim’s children, with all the humility befitting such an appeal, to consider the plight of this woman who has lived for many years under the weight of a death sentence. We are not asking them to forget their mother. We are simply asking them, if their hearts allow, to consider forgiveness,” said Antigone Diop, coordinator of the citizens’ movement Rappel à l’ordre.
Continuing her remarks, she made an even more emphatic appeal: “It is in the name of this solidarity, but also in the name of the universal values of compassion, mercy and clemency, that we respectfully request a royal pardon for Mbayang Diop, or any other measure of clemency that would spare her life. Our aim is not confrontation, nor is it controversy. Our aim is to save a life.”
Beyond the criminal sentence, speakers recalled the tragic circumstances that led the young Senegalese woman to leave her country, highlighting the vulnerability of many migrants to clandestine recruitment networks. This was the view expressed by Madjiguene Sarr, who spoke on behalf of the AJS at the gathering in support of Mbayang Diop.
“Mbayang was first and foremost a victim of a people smuggler. However, we are calling for solidarity: civil society organisations have come together to support Mbayang Diop. We are fighting for respect for human dignity, the promotion of human dignity and women’s rights.”
Given the complexity of the case, public figures are calling for the active involvement of national and continental institutions to support humanitarian efforts, while strictly respecting Saudi law.
“This case goes beyond Mbayang’s family: the Senegalese authorities must act. Let us call on the African Union! Beyond Mbayang, it is unacceptable that Africans should suffer such mistreatment around the world. African diplomacy is weak; we are not doing enough to defend our nationals,” said historian Penda Mbow.
Along similar lines, human rights defender Alioune Tine was equally categorical. The President of Afrikajom Centre believes that the country’s highest authorities must take this case firmly in hand.
“Only the President can save Mbayang by appealing directly to the King. He must not delegate this matter to anyone else. First and foremost, we must respect Saudi law. The National Assembly must also take a stand, particularly its Speaker. This is only the beginning: a large-scale demonstration must be organised to make our position clear, with religious leaders involved to the greatest extent possible.”
It should be recalled that, in 2017, Mbayang Diop was sentenced to death after being found guilty of murdering her Saudi employer, who was pregnant at the time. As the prospect of her execution draws closer, Senegalese civil society is mobilising in an effort to secure her pardon, drawing on the religious and diplomatic ties between Dakar and Riyadh.
