Killing of Libyan blogger Khansa Al-Mujahid raises fears of renewed assassinations

The killing of Libyan blogger Khansa Al-Mujahid in the capital Tripoli last Friday has revived fears of a return to politically motivated assassinations, particularly those carried out by unidentified perpetrators that have marked Libya's landscape for more than a decade and were routinely recorded “against unknown persons” without ever reaching the courts.

Tripoli’s security directorate announced that Al-Mujahid was shot dead in the al-Sarraj area, west of the capital, after gunmen opened fire on her vehicle.

The directorate pledged to pursue those responsible and to enforce its security plan launched earlier in November to secure the city.

Before authorities confirmed her death, social media users circulated videos showing Al-Mujahid lying on the ground beside her car, having apparently tried to escape before being chased by the shooters.

Her relatives expressed their grief and anger, holding the security services responsible for identifying the perpetrators and demanding an urgent investigation, according to a statement read by a representative of her tribe.

The National Human Rights Commission in Libya said armed elements belonging to the interior ministry's general security agency were involved in the killing, adding that preliminary indications suggested her husband, a member of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, may have been the intended target.

The UN mission in Libya condemned the killing, calling it part of a "dangerous pattern of violence against women and targeting of women active in public life".

It urged a swift and transparent investigation and the prosecution of those responsible. The High Council of State also denounced the attack and called for urgent steps to uncover the circumstances and arrest the assailants.

The killing comes amid persistent insecurity and the erosion of civil rights and freedoms over many years. According to the Office of the Public Prosecutor, suspects were arrested in seven assassination cases in November alone, underscoring the link between the proliferation of weapons, weak security institutions, and the targeting of civilians.

Between 2011 and 2013, Human Rights Watch documented at least 51 politically motivated assassinations in Benghazi and Derna, with no serious investigations or prosecutions announced by authorities. The following year, the number of killings exceeded 100, according to the organisation.

Assassinations and killings continued to rise as Libya entered successive waves of conflict from 2014 until mid-2021, including the discovery of mass graves containing more than 360 victims, alongside injuries to more than 20,000 civilians in various incidents of violence.

Assassinations and violations have also targeted activists, human rights defenders, and bloggers. Between 2012 and 2016, roughly 150 people were threatened, kidnapped, or killed, according to the World Organisation Against Torture.

In a separate report based on field documentation between 2020 and 2022, the same organisation recorded 581 extrajudicial killings affecting Libyans and foreigners. It noted that the figures likely represent only a fraction of reality, given the weakness of judicial institutions and the fear of retaliation among witnesses and victims’ families.

Human rights lawyer and activist Taha Al-Fallah said the killing of Khansa Al-Mujahid by unidentified gunmen was "not an exceptional case but part of the general chaos that has engulfed rights and freedoms in the country. It is one link in a chain of cases where responsibility is fragmented, investigations are opaque, and no fair trials have taken place, aside from occasional arrests".

Al-Fallah told The New Arab that the killing should serve as "a warning bell about the existence of actors who can decide the fate of any citizen who chooses to appear in public, especially women who already face social and cultural constraints. The most alarming thing is that Khansa was a fashion and lifestyle influencer who showcased clothing and style for women and had no political involvement whatsoever".

He said the killing "should not be treated as an ordinary criminal act but as a form of gender-based violence targeting women for their public presence or simply because they are women".

He stressed the need to mobilise public opinion to pressure security authorities to control weapons and curb their proliferation, noting that armed groups across the country claim affiliation with various security agencies.

Al-Fallah added that the current wave of public outrage must be followed by serious action, so that armed actors, and those behind them, do not rely on society gradually forgetting such assassinations over time.