In remembrance of Marieme Hélie-Lucas

The Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition mourns the passing of Marieme Hélie-Lucas, a pioneering feminist, sociologist, activist, and one of the founders of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition.

Marieme dedicated her life to challenging the forces that sought to silence, control, and divide women. Her worldview was deeply shaped by the Algerian struggle against French colonialism and the war of independence. 

From her work as a founder of Women Living Under Muslim Laws to her later work with Secularism Is A Women’s Issue, she consistently challenged religious fundamentalism, defended women’s human rights, and insisted on the importance of women’s autonomy, equality, and freedom.

Marieme was also a committed internationalist who understood that women’s struggles cannot be confined by borders. She believed deeply in the power of women coming together across differences, contexts, and geographies to defend one another and to build collective strength. She documented women’s resistance, forged connections across movements and helped translate solidarity into action.

As one of the founders of the Women Human Rights Defenders Coalition, Marieme was part of the early collective work that helped shape a global space for recognising, supporting, and protecting women human rights defenders. Her vision and political courage are woven into the history of our Coalition and into the broader movement for women’s human rights.

We remember Marieme not only for all that she accomplished, but for the movements, networks, and generations of feminists she helped make possible.

Her voice, her courage, her insistence on freedom, and her commitment to women standing together will remain with us.

We honour her life.
We honour her legacy.
We carry forward her work.
We stand in solidarity with all those who loved and worked alongside her.

Rest in power, Marieme.

Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC)