Career
She was assassinated in Benghazi, Libya on 25 June 2014. Bughaighis was from a prominent Benghazi family and trained as a lawyer She joined some of the first protests in Benghazi against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 with a group of lawyers.
Her sister, Iman, a professor of orthodontics, was the spokesperson for the group.
Salwa resigned her position after three months to protest the lack of women in the new government. Bughaighis opposed moves to make the wearing of the hijab compulsory, and her views brought her into conflict with the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist extremists.
Before her assassination, Bugaighis served as deputy chair of a national dialogue initiative, a commission trying to bridge Libya"s factional divide. She was mentor to many civil-society activists, particularly young ones.
She had updated Facebook with pictures of herself voting on the day she was killed.
Response
The United States Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones said the killing was "heartbreaking". United States National Security Advisor Susan Rice, reflecting on meeting Bugaighis, said "I was deeply impressed by her courage, leadership and dedication to building a peaceful, democratic Libya where the rights and freedoms of all Libyan women and men are respected and protected.".
