Libya Matters

"We say those women's names over and over again..."In this episode, hosts Marwa and Mae are joined by Shuvai Busuman Nyoni to shift our understanding of leadership as a collective movement, rather than focusing on individuals. Shuvai explores examples from across the continent including Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Sudan.Shuvai Busuman Nyoni is a gender, peace and security expert and is the Executive Director of the African Leadership Centre (ALC), based in Nairobi, Kenya. If you enjoyed th...

"Be honest…"What has the Taliban takeover meant for women in Afghanistan today? Former Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hasina Safi, shines a light on her experiences in Afghan politics and the erasure of women in public, social and political life under Taliban rule, with hosts, Marwa Ben Abderrazek and Marwa Mohamed. Together, they also explore the responsibility of the international community on women’s rights in Afghanistan today.Hasina Safi is a human rights advocate and was Afghanistan’...

"Solidarity is not just a warm fuzzy feeling…"This week, hosts, Mae and Marwa Mohamed, together with Kaavya Asoka, explore how we build global solidarity between women in civil society. They discuss reprisals against women human rights defenders and activists and the role of the UN in bringing accountability into the picture of global women’s rights.Kaavya Asoka is the Executive Director of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, based in the U.S.If you enjoyed this episode, pleas...

“I don’t want to stop even when I’m 100 years old…”In our first guest episode, hosts Elham and Marwa are joined by Dr. Farida Allaghi to explore her experiences and lessons learnt as an activist growing up in Tripoli, Libya. She also delves into the current realities for women in Libyan politics today. Dr. Farida Allaghi is a renowned Libyan human rights activist and advocate for democracy and social development with extensive expertise in civil society, women’s rights, and youth empower...

To ease into this new season of Libya Matters, join our hosts Elham and Mae as they set the scene for the next nine episodes, delving into what we mean when we say Women, Peace and Security (WPS). They explore the significance of situating the WPS agenda within the contexts and perspectives of women from the Global Majority and highlight important themes that come up this season, including solidarity and allyship.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Pod...

How do you deal with the past in order to move forward? And what does this mean for countries that have experienced conflict and mass atrocities? To kick off Season 4, hosts Elham and Marwa attempt to answer these questions with the incredible Justice Albie Sachs. Albie Sachs has been involved in human rights activism for over seventy years and was appointed by Nelson Mandela to be Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Our latest report, “Justice is the only way forward”:...

We’re back! This is Libya Matters – Season 4. New season, new guests, new hosts… and so much to discuss!More than a decade after the 2011 uprising, we’ll be taking a look at what justice really means in Libya and for Libyans, and how we go about achieving it. With a dazzling line up of guests, we grapple with the topics of truth-seeking, criminal accountability, victim participation, reparations, amnesties and much more.From this Wednesday, join Elham Saudi, Marwa Mohamed, and special guest h...

This episode presents the second Annual Justice Lecture delivered by Mr Hanny Megally in October 2020. Mr Megally examines lessons learned from past Commissions of Inquiry and the key elements of a successful investigative mechanism to facilitate accountability. Mr Megally’s lecture, delivered virtually, was followed by a discussion with Elham Saudi (Director, LFJL) and an audience Q&A with contributions from Pablo de Greiff, Stephen Rapp, Mervat Rishmawi and others. The full ...

How does the international media cover Libya? Are they held accountable? How should they report on conflict and political instability? In this special episode, we look at the challenges and opportunities for the media covering the Libyan story with Ahmed Gatnash, Raghda Ibraheem, Asma Khalifa and Patrick Wintour. This episode showcases the first instalment of Libya Matters Live, a live event which was recorded in December 2020. Check out our recent work on the rights of migrants an...

In the final episode in this season, our producer Tariq Elmeri goes deeper into Salwa’s family’s pursuit for justice, and why an independent investigation is very important to her sister Iman. We will also hear from activists and journalists, who will bring us closer to understanding what it’s like to work in these fields in Libya today, and what that means for Salwa’s legacy. This is a story of tragedy and triumph, and one we are honoured to tell. LFJL is sincerely grateful to Salwa’s f...

In this episode, we celebrate the achievements and resilience of Libya’s civil society movement over the last 10 years, which Salwa Bugaighis played an important part in creating. We discuss the challenges that civil society actors continue to face and ways to move forward. This is a story of tragedy and triumph, and one we are honoured to tell. LFJL is sincerely grateful to Salwa’s family and friends, and all of our friends and partners in Libyan civil society who have given us their ti...

In this episode, we take a deeper look at the rights to freedom of expression and association. Ten years on from the protests that started the Libyan uprising and in the year in which elections are supposed to take place, where are we in protecting and promoting these rights? And why are they so important for accountability, peace and democracy? We explore why it is important that these rights are available equally, what they mean for diversity and inclusion, and what has changed since ...

In today’s episode, we look back at the role of women in the 2011 uprising and the birth of #Libya's civil society movement. Salwa Bugaighis was seen by many to be one of the leaders of that movement and she was a role model for many women who were perhaps entering the public and political space for the first time. We discuss what has happened to the women who were so prominent in Libyan civil society in 2011 and how the landscape for women has developed since, including their ability to part...

On 25 June 2014, Libyan human rights activist and lawyer Salwa Bugaighis celebrated casting her vote in parliamentary elections. Hours later, she was brutally murdered in her own home, a crime which sent shockwaves through Libya’s civil society movement. In the first episode of a special new season marking the tenth anniversary of Libya's 2011 uprising and the birth of that civil society movement, we speak to Salwa’s family and friends to remember that day and reflect on what Salwa's assassin...

Libyan human rights activist and lawyer Salwa Bugaighis was assassinated on 25 June 2014. Nobody has been held accountable. To many, Salwa embodied all that is positive about the civil society movement that emerged from the 2011 uprising which she helped lead, and she remains an inspiration to this day. 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of that uprising. To mark this historic milestone, we have produced a special season inspired by Salwa’s life and activism, and what it tells us about developme...