Daouda Diallo is a pharmacist and human rights defender from

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. Since 2019, he is the founder and Secretary General of Collective against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities (French: Collectif contre l'Impunité et la Stigmatisation des Communautés, CISC). Diallo is recognized internationally for his advocacy for human rights in Burkina Faso, a country facing ongoing political instability and challenges regarding civil liberties. On December 1, 2023, Diallo was abducted in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

by individuals in civilian clothes and taken to an undisclosed location. Human rights organizations, including

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

, Fédération internationale pour les droits humains (FIDH),

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

, and the

African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) is a quasi-judicial body tasked with promoting and protecting human rights and collective (peoples') rights throughout the African continent as well as interpreting the African Char ...

(ACHPR), condemned the abduction and called for his immediate release. These groups also highlighted the growing dangers faced by human rights defenders in the region and increasing political repression. Diallo was released on March 7, 2024.

Recognition and awards

In 2022, Diallo was honored with the

Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, sometimes called "the Nobel Prize for human rights", is an annual prize for human rights defenders. It was created in 1993 to honour and protect individuals around the world who demonstrate except ...

, which is an award given to individuals who have shown exceptional courage and dedication in the defense of human rights.

References

{{reflist Human rights in Burkina Faso Burkinabe human rights activists Burkinabe activists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people