Human rights organizations in Senegal are calling on President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to intervene personally to prevent the execution of Mbayang Diop, a Senegalese national on death row in Saudi Arabia, on the occasion of World Day Against the Death Penalty observed Saturday.
Amnesty International's Senegal section expressed concern about Diop's situation, stating that she has been held in Saudi Arabia's death row for more than ten years. The organization said her execution is described as imminent and urged the president to become personally involved to save her life.
Activist Seydi Gassama also called on President Faye to intervene on behalf of Diop during the global observance marking opposition to capital punishment.
Diop was sentenced to death in April 2017 for the knife murder of her Saudi employer. She maintained that she was being mistreated at the time of the incident. Her death sentence had remained suspended due to the minority status of the victim's children under Saudi law, which can affect capital cases in the kingdom.
According to available information, an execution deadline is feared for the end of 2026. Amnesty International Senegal has not provided additional details about the specific circumstances that have led to the current urgency surrounding her case or the legal basis for the anticipated execution timeline.