Transitional Justice
Seeking recognition of people's right to truth, accountability, reconciliation and reparations
Transitional Justice
LFJL’s Transitional Justice Programme seeks to carry out activities that ensure that victims of human rights abuses realise their right to know the truth, see those responsible held to account, and receive adequate reparations. It is based on the understanding that without these rights of victims to truth, accountability and redress being achieved, peaceful coexistence between communities in Libya will be unable to take root.
The Transitional Justice Programme works with actors in Libya to document a broad range of human rights violations, including human rights abuses that took place during the 2011 uprising and the ongoing human rights violations against migrants. The programme ensures that these documents are stored securely so that they may be used as evidence in future truth, reconciliation and accountability efforts. The programme also seeks to create space for discussions and debates not currently being had regarding transitional justice issues such as those related to the right to reconciliation of communities perceived as being ‘against’ the uprising who are currently severely marginalised.
We also advocate for the implementation of laws and policies that support a transitional justice mechanism that is objective, nonpolitical and inclusive of all groups and communities in Libya.
The Transitional Justice Programme seeks to support the implementation of transitional justice legislation and state mechanisms that adhere to the rule of law and fair trial standards. It provides support and capacity building opportunities to legal practitioners, so that they may benefit from international experiences of transitional justice. To assist those who have documented or are actively documenting human rights violations, the programme provides training on admissibility standards; seeks to establish new collaborative information sharing relationships between individuals and organisations; and facilitates the secure storage of information to ensure that activists and their work are protected. It also creates spaces for dialogue between stakeholders including human rights violation survivors and marginalised communities and works to engage them in discussions regarding transitional justice issues.
Human Rights Archive Project
In 2017, we launched the Human Rights Archive (the Archive), a digital archive of evidence related to human rights violations in Libya. We established the Archive with the founding group of Libyan NGOs, ‘The Network for Monitoring and Archiving for Justice’ (SHIRA), which we brought together in 2016. The project seeks to protect documentation and evidence of human rights violations in Libya, which is at risk of being lost, stolen or damaged. LFJL created a centralised space where organisations can share information relating to human rights abuses in order to create a national archive of human rights violations to support future transitional justice processes.
For more information about the Human Rights Archive Project see the 2017 Monitoring Report and the interactive map.
International criminal court (ICC) Moot Court Competition
In 2018, we hosted the first International Criminal Moot Court Competition at the University of Libya, taking the law out of the books and into the courtroom. Through in-depth training, the project provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of international humanitarian law and international criminal law and to enhance their legal drafting and presentation skills. The competition culminates in a final event where the best two teams for the Defence and for the Office of the Prosecutor present their arguments before an expert panel of judges. The final event is open to the public, creating new spaces for discussion on human rights, justice and law.
Latest News
Weekly Briefing
LFJL heads to Geneva for the UN Human Rights Council
This week, LFJL's Advocacy & Outreach team is in Geneva to work around the UN Human Rights Council. This mission is part of our advocacy efforts to call for a serious commitment and concrete actions to achieve justice and accountability in Libya. Last week, LFJL's Head of Advocacy & Outreach Marwa Mohamed attended the UN Security Council session and briefed it on the current situation in Libya, specifically focusing on three main issues: the impact of the conflict on women, the use of enforced disappearances and torture, and the discriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects. Read Marwa's intervention.
Weekly Briefing
LibyaMatters' Episode 2 "Failing Well" is out!
In this episode, Geoff Howard, a Libya analyst with great expertise on conflict resolution, joins Elham and Marwa to discuss why Libya is the exception to traditional peace-building models, and how to find better-fitted and more viable solutions to the Libyan conflict. While sharing his insight on peace-settlement, Geoff explains to us how political negotiations could be more successful, or at least 'fail well'.
Head to iTunes to listen to it now: http://ow.ly/fBBa50v7LR8) ow.ly/fBBa50v7LR8
Weekly Briefing
Have you heard George the Poet’s latest podcast? George, a social commentator and recording artist specialising in musical poetry, casts his gaze 2000 miles across the Mediterranean Sea to explore the modern Libyan slave trade.
As part of his collaboration with LFJL and #RoutesToJustice, George has raised awareness about the human rights violations migrants face in Libya and promoted this project, which aims to provide migrants with access to justice. George recently dedicated an entire show on 20 September 2018 to the issue of slavery in Libya and highlighted LFJL’s work in this area. The show resulted in this podcast, 'The Journey - Part II', which features, Elham Saudi, LFJL's Director. Check out the podcast here.
Weekly Briefing
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Rebecca Wright as our new Head of Accountability and Transitional Justice. Rebecca is a human rights lawyer and brings a wealth of experience in strategic litigation, capacity building and human rights documentation across the Middle East and Central Asia. She has practiced as a criminal barrister in the UK and as a corporate lawyer in Doha, London and New York. On confirming her appointment to LFJL, Rebecca said: “I am delighted to be joining LFJL at this exciting time of growth. I look forward to developing projects which contribute to the process of bringing accountability and justice to Libya.”
Rebecca worked at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and established the North African Litigation Initiative. She initiated the first case before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights which was against the Libyan state for violations in the 2011 uprising. Rebecca holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford and a JD from Berkeley and Harvard. She is a member of the New York Bar and Inner Temple.
Weekly Briefing
“Artists become advocates and audiences become activists.” In his incredible show at Screen on the Green on 20 September, the wonderful George the Poet told the story of #RoutesToJustice eloquently and powerfully; the show will feature as an episode of Have You Heard George's Podcast very soon, and we cannot wait to share it!
Weekly Briefing
The Libyan national elections, scheduled for 24 December 2021, are upon us. In order to guarantee free and fair elections, the Libyan authorities, including the new interim Government of National Unity (the GNU), the Presidency Council and the House of Representatives (the HoR), must put human rights at the forefront. In February 2021, the Prime Minister and the members of the Presidency Council signed a pledge to abide by the Roadmap “For the Preparatory Phase of a Comprehensive Solution” (the Roadmap) adopted by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF). However, since the confidence vote granted to the GNU by the HoR on 15 March 2021, little has been done to prepare for elections.
The elections are now only seven months away. To ensure Libya is ready for election on 24 December 2021, this human rights roadmap details seven key human rights priorities that the interim executive authority must tackle in the next seven months.
Programmes
Research and Capacity Building
The Research and Capacity Building Programme undertakes activities that aim to identify new opportunities for participation, to share our understanding of human rights issues and to address the knowledge deficit around Libya.
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