Libya Matters

In the final episode of this season, hosts Elham Saudi and Mae Thompson reflect on the journey of season 5 and bring it back to the Libyan context. They look ahead to talk of upcoming election and where Libyan women’s political engagement fits within these conversations. They also explore how we are centring accountability in our feminist approaches at LFJL.  If you enjoyed this episode, please su...

"They want to take us out of the picture..." What does violence against women and girls look like in Libya today? How is this specifically impacting women human rights defenders? Join hosts Elham Saudi and Marwa Ben Abderrezak, alongside Noura Eljerbi, for the final guest episode of our WPS season, as they explore how women navigate Libya's unstable political landscape and shrinking...

"Violence against women and girls is a political question" This week, hosts, Mae Thompson and Marwa Ben Abderrezak are joined by Hala Al-Karib to discuss the patterns and normalisation of violence against women and girls in the Horn of Africa region. They explore the roles, and failings, of international humanitarian frameworks on this topic and ask who has the power to unbuild and rebui...

"We have more hope, we have less fear..." How did the 2011 Libyan uprising impact the rights of Imazighen (Amazighs) people? This week, hosts Elham and Mae are joined by Tuza Hasairi to dive into Libya's pre- and post-2011 political and social landscape for Imazighen people. In this conversation, they also explore what inclusion looks like for Imazighen women within Libya's pol...

"It’s not about religion, it’s about freedom of choice…" This week, human rights advocate Shadi Sadr joins hosts Elham and Marwa Ben Abderrezak to explore the current system of gender apartheid in Iran. Together, they examine the years, context and warning signs leading up to the current reality for women, and ask how accountability plays a major role in Iran's 'Woman, Life, Fr...

"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...

"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 comm...

"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 Direct...

“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 s...

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 solidar...

For the final episode of the season, hosts Elham and Marwa welcome Dr. Noha Aboueldahab to Libya Matters to explore the role of the Libyan diaspora and what diasporas can offer to justice in their home country.  Dr. Noha Aboueldahab is a Non-Resident Fellow in the Foreign Policy programme at the Brookings Institution, Assistant Professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, and Senior Non-Resident F...

What is the goal of reparations and why do they matter? When should they be delivered and who should benefit? In this episode, hosts Elham and Juergen are joined by Professor Phil Clark to grapple with the topic of reparations for grave human rights violations and mass atrocity. Phil Clark is a Professor of International Politics at SOAS University of London and an acclaimed author. He specialises...

Hosts Marwa and Mae, together with Lord Alf Dubs, discuss access to truth, justice and accountability for refugees and migrants that have suffered gross human rights violations in Libya. They look at current avenues for protection and accountability, as well as how to effectively build migrants and refugees into future transitional justice mechanisms.   Lord Dubs is a British Labour politician and...

Why are Special Courts needed, and do they help achieve justice? Could Libya benefit from a Special Court? How can a Special Court be compatible with other international mechanisms? To unravel all this, hosts Elham and Marwa talk to prominent American lawyer and former US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, Stephen Rapp. Stephen Rapp has over twenty years of experience in the field of inter...

In this episode, hosts Elham and Mae are joined by Gissou Nia to discuss peoples’ tribunals as an alternative to more conventional criminal accountability mechanisms. Together they explore what a peoples’ tribunal might look like in the context of Libya. Gissou Nia is a human rights lawyer and the director of the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council. She served as a member of the p...

Carla Ferstman returns to Libya Matters to discuss the views, concerns and participation of victims and their families in transitional justice and accountability mechanisms, and to explore what a genuine victim-centred approach would look like in the Libya context. Carla Ferstman is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Essex Law School and has over 25 years of experience in human rights law and...

In this episode, hosts Elham and Mae talk to prominent South African human rights lawyer, Yasmin Sooka about the importance of knowing the truth, how we can seek it, and how truth-seeking should fit into transitional justice processes. Yasmin Sooka currently chairs the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan and is the current chair of the Board of the Foundation for Human Rights...

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...

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,...

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...

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 whic...

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...

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 fr...

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...

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 civ...