Hanan Al-Mqawab

A 34-year-old Libyan woman from Benghazi, Hanan Al-Mqawab was forged in the fire of the revolution. Soon after the start of the uprising, she began working as a citizen-journalist for the Media Centre, an ad hoc organization created to cover events in the east of the country. She soon went on to work for radio Benghazi Mahali, presenting reports on the humanitarian situation, and then Shabab Libya FM, where she covered the situation of women and hosted a very popular programme called Isma’una (Listen to us), the first to talk openly about the abuses being committed by the militias. Its reports linking armed groups to egregious human rights violations led to a major demonstration on 21 September 2012 called “Save Benghazi.” The resulting threats of death or abduction were too much even for Mqawab and her commitment to journalism and political activism. She finally fled abroad and continues to be a journalist in exile.