Released from prison yesterday Monday, after a short prison stay for accusations of fraud on public funds, Dieguy Diop, former Director of Promotion of the Social and Solidarity Economy, spoke to L’Observateur. She was able to benefit from provisional release after depositing 28 million CFA francs.
The political leader of the Alliance for the Republic (APR) returned to the conditions of her detention.
“I do not wish anyone, not even my worst enemy, a stint in the cellar of the Dakar High Court. I do not wish it on any person, in particular on a woman or a mother, because it is a restriction of freedom which is, ultimately, degrading,” reacted the head of the APR.
Dieguy Diop explains: “I was behind the cellar gates, a new world that I was discovering. That day, I felt, paradoxically, both pride and anger. Pride, because I told myself that it was because of my political opinions that I found myself there. But also anger, because it is never normal for Senegalese who have reached a certain level of magistracy to use the State against a political opponent. It’s deplorable. I also find it regrettable that my responsible minister swore to send me to prison.”
“I did not flee to escape justice”
The former Director of Promotion of the Social and Solidarity Economy looked back on her first nights in police custody. “I lived them with dignity. I told myself that in life, there are three beings who will never be imprisoned: first, the madman, who is not criminally responsible; then, the dog, who is used to doing dirty work; and finally, the traitor. And I’m not a traitor. I didn’t flee to escape the justice of my country, so there was always the possibility that I would get caught up in legal trouble.”
She confides that she was marked, in the cellar, by the fate of two defendants. “There was an old man of around 80, a supplier, who had difficulty adapting, given his advanced age. His case particularly touched me. There was also a 15 year old. I immediately thought of my daughter, who is the same age, and it cracked me up. What’s happening in the cellar is really scary,” said Dieguy Diop.
Press Africa
