Guadalupe Lizárraga Viernes, 30 de Enero del 2026, 09:45
One year after the documented attempted killing, Diallo Ablaye’s case in Spain still lacks an independent investigation.
Por Guadalupe Lizárraga
One year after the attempted killing of human rights defender Diallo Ablaye in Bilbao, Spanish authorities have yet to open an independent investigation or hold any public officials accountable, despite video evidence and formal complaints filed with European and international human rights bodies.
On January 30, 2025, Ablaye was attacked by officers of the Basque autonomous police force inside the offices of the mutual insurance company FREMAP, where he had gone to file a labor-related complaint. The assault was recorded on video and is now part of an international case file reviewed by human rights institutions in Europe and at the United Nations.
According to the documentation submitted, the police intervention escalated into prolonged strangulation until Ablaye lost consciousness, repeated blows, and his detention while in critical condition. He was taken by ambulance to Basurto Hospital. The video, medical reports, and witness statements were included in formal complaints as direct evidence of an attempted homicide.
Ablaye has filed complaints repeatedly with Spanish authorities, as well as with European and international institutions. None has resulted in an independent investigation. In his filings, he argues that the Spanish state, the Basque regional government, and the Basque police force, known as the Ertzaintza, have pursued a systematic strategy of impunity.
The case files describe the manipulation of official reports, the blocking or concealment of complaints, contradictory police narratives, and institutional protection of the officers involved. According to the complaints, these actions have prevented judicial scrutiny and denied the victim an effective legal remedy.
After the attack, Ablaye also reported the denial of basic procedural safeguards. He was not allowed immediate access to a lawyer, was not promptly brought before a judicial authority, and was unable to contact the Senegalese consulate. He has stated that the medical care he received did not correspond to the severity of his injuries. These claims form a central part of the complaints currently under review by international human rights mechanisms.
The case extends beyond the January 2025 attack. The documentation includes labor and administrative records showing a deterioration of Ablaye’s situation in the months preceding the assault, including the prolonged withholding of wages, denial of benefits during medical leave, and his dismissal while medically incapacitated. These records are supported by official Social Security documentation.
In October 2025, Ablaye submitted a formally registered letter to Spain’s Ombudsman requesting urgent intervention. In that letter, he warned that institutional inaction was placing his life at risk and undermining fundamental guarantees of the rule of law.
The international complaint asserts that the facts may constitute serious and ongoing violations of the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, particularly provisions related to the right to life, the prohibition of torture, equality before the law, and the right to an effective remedy. Among the remedies requested are an independent international investigation and guarantees of non-repetition.
One year after the documented attempted killing, the case continues to advance before international bodies while remaining stalled within Spain. There is still no public record of an independent investigation or disciplinary action against the officers involved.
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