CINCINNATI — A friend and former coworker of Ayman Soliman says she has been fired from Cincinnati Children's after speaking with WCPO 9 News about her visit to him at the Butler County Jail.
Lizzy Diop talked to us on July 14, one day after speaking with her friend. She did not comment on their time together at the hospital, only saying Soliman was hopeful "he could quickly come back to work" after what he thought was a routine check-in.
She said two of her superiors were aware that she was participating in the interview, telling her to take PTO and ensure she was off campus for the interview.
The next day, Diop was told that she would be facing disciplinary action.
WATCH: Why Diop says she was fired from Cincinnati Children's
That Thursday, Diop said she met with Human Resources and her superiors, where she said she was "grilled" with questions about when we contacted her, how people would have known she was off the clock and other details.
Then, on Monday, July 21, Diop said she was fired for a media policy violation — a policy she says she didn’t fully understand, and didn’t know she was violating.
"I felt I had permission," Diop said, referring to the fact that her higher-ups told her to take PTO and be off campus. "I’m not sure that they would describe it as permission."
We asked Diop if she regretted speaking with us that day about Soliman after learning of the consequences.
"I regret the fact that they fired me, but if I had to live with myself knowing that I had the chance to use my voice to support him and didn’t because I was afraid of being fired, that would be soul-crushing," said Diop. "I’m glad I did it. I feel like it was the right thing to do."
Diop wants to clarify that she loved her job at Cincinnati Children’s for the 10 years she was there as a chaplain. But adds that their decision to let her go hurts, and she is worried about her and her family’s future.
We reached out to Cincinnati Children’s asking if they could confirm that Diop was fired because of her interview with WCPO 9, and for a copy of their employee media policy.
They replied with a statement: "We don't comment on current or former personnel."
