Democracy, peace and social justice in the Euro-Mediterranean region, in the era of genocide, colonialism, and authoritarianism
A panel bringing together voices from Palestine, Algeria, Western Sahara and Catalonia to analyse the current challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean region. A collective reflection on how to defend democracy, peace and social justice in the face of genocide, colonialism and authoritarianism.
Speakers
Lurdes Vidal
Professor of Mediterranean, Arab and Islamic Studies at IBEI and Blanquerna-URL
Her work focuses on Euro-Mediterranean relations, political Islam and sociopolitical dynamics in the MENA region, with special attention to violent extremism and gendered Islamophobia. She has led the El Hiwar programme (College of Europe) and the CONNEKT research project (H2020). She is a university professor and a board member of NOVACT.
Layla Hzaineh
Palestinian activist and coordinator of The Hague Group and Progressive International
Specialising in human rights, feminism and anti-colonial movements, she coordinates The Hague Group within Progressive International, an alliance from the Global South promoting legal and political action to demand accountability for crimes against the Palestinian people and defend international law. She advocates for a concept of peace rooted in justice and decolonisation.
Shawan Jabarin
Director of Al-Haq, former Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and Palestinian human rights defender
A lawyer and leading human rights advocate, he heads Al-Haq, a pioneering organisation documenting violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He has also served as Secretary General and Vice President of FIDH and as Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists. He has faced reprisals and travel bans imposed by Israel, denounced by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Asria Taleb Mohamed
Sahrawi refugee and human rights defender at the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara
Born and raised in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, she now works in Norway with the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, a member of the Human Rights House Oslo network. She combines art, journalism and activism to denounce violations in Moroccan-occupied territories and to defend the rights of women and refugees.
Raouf Farrah
Activist and researcher, expert in colonial violence in Africa
Activist and researcher in geopolitics and human rights in North Africa and the Sahel. Explore issues of genocide, colonial violence and social justice on this continent. He is the co-editor of Rising for Palestine: Africans in Decolonization and Liberation (Pluto Press, 2026).
How to arrive
- Metro
- L4 Jaume I - L1 / L4 Urquinaona
- Bus
- V15, 47, 120, H16