Ambassador Diallo Ablaye, recognized by the United Nations, accuses Spanish authorities of covering up racist violence and warns that his case symbolizes institutional impunity against African migrants in Europe.
Los Angeles Press
Madrid, España — African human rights defender and peace ambassador Diallo Ablaye has filed a formal complaint with Spain’s Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, demanding an “impartial, thorough, and transparent investigation” into what he described as an attempted homicide with racial motives committed against him by Basque police officers (Ertzaintza) in Bilbao on January 30, 2025.
In a new official filing dated October 30, Ablaye said "he was strangled, humiliated, and unlawfully detained" while unconscious after visiting the Fremap Mutual insurance office to claim unpaid wages and labor rights. According to his account, officers “abandoned the strangulation believing I was dead” — an ordeal he survived, he said, “only by divine protection.”
Allegations of Institutional Racism and State Negligence
Ablaye, who has lived in Spain for 18 years and serves as executive president of ASAC International, denounced what he called a “pattern of institutional racism and police abuse” targeting African and Afro-descendant communities in the Basque Country.
“Spain cannot look the other way,” Ablaye wrote. “Omission, bias, or the criminalization of victims only embolden aggressors and endanger social peace.”
He said that despite repeatedly alerting Spain’s central government, the Basque authorities, and even the Royal Household about threats and abuses, no protective measures were ever implemented. “This institutional silence deepens the State’s responsibility for the violence and the impunity surrounding it,” he added.
Appeal to National and International Authorities
In his petition, Ablaye urged the Ombudsman to refer the case to Spain’s Attorney General and the National Court, ensuring an independent investigation and protection of his fundamental rights, including physical safety and equal access to justice.
He also announced that his letter will be shared with African, European, and American diplomatic missions accredited in Spain, as well as with international human rights organizations, to highlight “the persistence of institutional racism and the lack of fair judicial guarantees in the Basque Country.”
International Recognition
Attached to his complaint is a document issued on May 17, 2025, by the International Circle of the Banner of Peace (CIBP) — a United Nations–recognized organization based in France — officially designating Ablaye as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Government of the State of Savoie and the CIBP.
The attached French document corresponds to the official act of appointment of Diallo Ablaye as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Government of the State of Savoie and of the International Circle of the Banner of Peace (CIBP), an institution recognized by the United Nations and based in France.
The letter, signed on May 17, 2025, by President Thierry Becourt, endorses Ablaye’s work as a human rights defender and peace advocate, within the framework of the 1935 Roerich Pact, the United Nations Charter, and UN General Assembly Resolution 985 (X).
Through this appointment, Ablaye is formally accredited to represent the values of the Banner of Peace and to take part in international diplomatic and humanitarian missions, thereby reinforcing his moral authority in the complaint he filed before Spain’s Ombudsman.
The appointment, signed by CIBP president Thierry Becourt, honors his work in defending human rights and promoting peace under the 1935 Roerich Pact, the UN Charter, and UN General Assembly Resolution 985 (X). The designation authorizes him to participate in international diplomatic and humanitarian missions, further reinforcing his legitimacy in the complaint filed before Spanish authorities.
“Justice Must Be Universal”
In statements to Los Angeles Press, Ablaye expressed gratitude for the outlet’s coverage and solidarity:
- “Your commitment to truth and human rights has been a pillar in this fight for justice and dignity. By divine grace, I survived what could have been a fatal tragedy.”
He concluded his letter to the Ombudsman with a powerful appeal:
“True justice must be universal — or it is not justice. I trust in the humanity of the Spanish Ombudsman to ensure this case does not remain in impunity and that Spain continues to stand as a nation of law, not of racial discrimination or violence.”
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Diallo Ablaye’s case adds to growing international concern over human rights violations against African migrants in Europe, particularly in northern Spain, where several cases of police brutality have gone unanswered by local institutions.
