With the support of his family and colleagues, he worked in his home country of Guinea, but also in Burundi as a human rights monitor, and on cross-regional projects and meetings with colleagues in many countries including Chad and Senegal.
Most recently, as President of the Guinean Organisation for Human Rights (OGDH), Gadiry worked to bring justice for survivors of serious human rights violations in Guinea, including those survivors of the 28 September massacre and their families. Having worked with Gadiry on this joint project, we witnessed his deep commitment to centering the needs and experiences of those most vulnerable people needing support.
We know that we have lost a great advocate for human rights, and Gadiry’s drive, knowledge, and persistence will be missed widely across Africa. We resolve to take up the mantle, and to persist in our common efforts to make the world a more just, peaceful place.
FIDH and its 192 member organisations are saddened by the death of Abdoul Gadiry Diallo and extend their sincere condolences to his family, his wife and his children, and to everyone who worked with him in the universal struggle for justice and peace. FIDH extends its thoughts in particular to his friends and colleagues at OGDH, and wishes to express its profound solidarity with them.
We would like to share some messages from our colleagues who are remembering Gadiry today :
“Dear friend, we met you and found you in the human rights world. We had become brothers. You were the one who was always coming up with new ideas to mediate between parties to make sure that between us as human rights defenders, we could find solutions. Today, you sleep in the peace of God. Rest in peace, our hearts are full of sorrow but we know that you led the good fight, and we are committing ourselves to continue to lead the fight for human rights and human dignity.” Drissa Traoré FIDH Secretary-General, Côte d’Ivoire
“It’s our baobab tree that has fallen this morning. Gadiry was a guide for us.” Adrien Montcho, Mêmes Droits pour Tous (MDT), Guinea
“Diallo had been mandated by FIDH to facilitate a training for media representatives about human rights monitoring. He was up to the challenge for the mission, and the High Authority for Media and Broadcasting really appreciated his work. This great man knew how to give the best of himself and maintained good relationships with the project team.” Doumla Laurent Hibra, Chadian League for Human Rights (LTDH)