Libya Matters

Libyan human rights activist and lawyer Salwa Bugaighis was assassinated on 25 June 2014. Nobody has been held accountable

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 developments since 2011 and the key challenges that Libya faces today. We examine her family’s fight for justice and issues that Salwa was passionate about and that impacted her life and work, including civil society space, women’s rights, attacks against human rights defenders and accountability. This is a story of tragedy and triumph, and one we are honoured to tell.