Kampala, Uganda February 3, 2026
In a blistering protest letter to Uganda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Migrant Workers Voice Organisation has unleashed fierce condemnation of the Syrian government's reported beheading of Ugandan citizen Vicky Ajong, accused of murdering her employer, and issued an unequivocal call for immediate diplomatic action to rescue her.
The organisation's letter, drafted in the strongest terms, brands the execution as a "barbaric, inhumane, and illegal" atrocity that demands high-level state-to-state engagement from Kampala. It urges the Ugandan Embassy in Cairo accredited to Syria at 66 Road 10, Maadi to act "with utmost urgency" in investigating, intervening, and securing Ajong's safety.
No Legal Basis for Employment or Trial.
Migrant Workers Voice argues that Uganda lacks any bilateral labour agreement with Syria, rendering any transport of Ugandans there tantamount to human trafficking and forced labour—violations of international law like the Palermo Protocol. "Whoever transports Ugandans from Uganda to Syria... trafficks them and exposes these nationals to forced labour and exploitation," the letter states.
It further contends the employer had "no legal rights" to hire Ajong without a formal contract, insisting authorities interrogate events for signs of duress, abuse, or coercion common in such cases. Ajong's denial of legal counsel breaches due process under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and customary law, the group asserts.
Vienna Convention Invoked for Immediate Action.
Citing the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), the letter declares: "Uganda and all other states are entitled to protect all their citizens abroad regardless of their travel status." It commands the government to act "immediately, without hesitation or delay" via demarches, UN channels, or other means, warning that inaction equals "dereliction of duty" and complicity.
The protest highlights Syria's instability, absence of formal Ugandan diplomatic presence until recent pledges, and risks to migrant workers under UN conventions as additional grounds voiding the sentence.
Global Call to Arms.
Migrant Workers Voice rallies international bodies, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UN Human Rights Council, and African Union to intervene urgently, dispatch observers, and halt the execution. "The blood of Vicky Ajong stains the hands of inaction," it warns, demanding confirmation of engagement within 24 hours.
The letter, copied to the President, Foreign Minister, Uganda's Cairo mission, and UN officials underscores rising concerns over Ugandan migrants in high-risk destinations amid deepening Uganda-Syria ties. As Kampala weighs response, the case spotlights vulnerabilities in unregulated labour migration.
