Ghazi Gheblawi is a Libyan author, blogger, activist, and physician. He has been a leading public speaker on Libyan affairs, pushing for democracy, human rights, and freedom of the press in Libya. In 2004 he co-founded the Libya Alyoum (Libya Today) online newspaper and served as cultural editor until 2009. His award-winning blog, Imtidad, focuses on cultural and social issues in Libya and the Arab world. From the beginning of the Libyan uprising, Gheblawi gathered information and verified reports from activists inside and out of Libya using social media networks. In 2006, he began producing the Imtidad Cultural Podcast, a popular Arabic-language podcast which provided analyses of important news and opinion via interviews with intellectuals and writers. Gheblawi has also published two collections of short stories and poems in Arabic. In post-Gaddafi Libya, Gheblawi has called for freedom of expression to be enshrined in the country’s constitution and for laws that protect the rights of journalists. In recent years, Gheblawi has continued to make public appearances, give interviews, and write articles, including a piece in the Independent, in which he said, “I believe that the astounding solidarity and creativity this revolution has unleashed is what will give Libyans the confidence in themselves that they need to rebuild the nation.” He was a judge for the prestigious 2017 Caine Prize for African Writing. He currently lives in Britain and works as a physician. His latest work can be found on his blog ;Imtidad.