The case of Mbayang Diop, a young Senegalese domestic worker sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, continues to draw international attention, with renewed calls for intensified diplomatic intervention.
In April 2017, Mbayang Diop’s life took a dramatic turn. Just weeks after arriving in Riyadh to work as a housemaid, she was accused and convicted of murdering her employer. The verdict, rendered by the Saudi judicial system, came despite testimonies suggesting she had been subjected to severe abuse.
Her sentence – death by execution – stunned many and sparked widespread concern over the plight of African domestic workers in the Gulf.
Diop’s name has since become emblematic of the harsh realities faced by migrant women employed in isolated and vulnerable circumstances abroad. Her case is regularly cited by human rights organizations as a symbol of injustice and the urgent need for reform in labor migration systems.
Years have passed, but the movement for her release remains alive. With legal appeals largely exhausted, efforts have shifted toward high-level diplomacy.
The Diop family continues to endure the silence, while officials tread cautiously, wary of provoking a rigid judicial framework in Saudi Arabia.
In this tense environment, Horizon Sans Frontières, a long-standing advocate in the case, issued a statement praising recent diplomatic efforts by Senegalese authorities. The organization commended President Bassirou Diomaye Faye while urging him to escalate the matter through direct appeals to King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — seen by many as holding the final key to mercy.
“The only possible resolution now lies in direct presidential intervention,” the NGO stated, highlighting that a carefully balanced approach is needed to protect Diop without straining Senegal’s diplomatic relations.
But beyond the immediate case, the issue resonates deeply. It raises broader questions about how African states defend their citizens abroad, especially in legal systems where the death penalty remains enforced and due process is opaque.
The rights to legal defense, consular access, and humane treatment are at the core of what many believe is missing.
As Diop’s case lingers unresolved, human rights groups insist that justice cannot be measured only in verdicts. For Senegal, the outcome of this case could become a defining moment in its commitment to protecting its most vulnerable citizens — and in shaping its voice on the global stage.
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