Hauwa Ibrahim

Hauwa Ibrahim is a Nigerian Human Rights lawyer, 2005 laureate of the Sakharov Prize. Prior to launching her practice in 1999, she was a prosecutor in the Ministry of Justice in Bauchi State. She is one of the few women lawyers fighting for human rights and against religious fundamentalism in the country. Through her work, she has defended several cases involving the death penalty or cruel punishment and has served as defense counsel in 47 cases implicating the Sharia law, many of which have involved women accused of adultery and subject to death by stoning. 

She is also a keen supporter of education, which she sees a way of empowering women and the best defence for those facing the greatest deprivation. She serves as a consultant to many human rights and non-governmental organizations. Hauwa has been a Visiting Professor at Harvard university Divinity school, a World Fellow at Yale University, a Radcliffe fellow, and a fellow at both the Human Rights Program and the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard University. She is currently visiting Professor at the University of Rome. Italy. She's the President of The Peace Institute with offices in USA, Italy and Nigeria. Hauwa is an author of a bestselling book: Practicing Shariah Law: Seven Strategies for Achieving Justice in Shariah Courts.