Mersiha Smailovikj

Mersiha Smailoviƒá is human rights activist, lawyer and president of NGO LEGIS. Mersiha is active in the field of advocating for the rights of refugees, migrants and ethnic groups, as well as promoting gender equality and fighting discrimination against Muslims and Islamophobia. Her research papers on refugee rights, Islamophobia, and women’s rights have been published in several local and international publications. She was actively involved in numerous humanitarian missions globally. Mersiha has received awards for her activism on refugee rights and her promotion of human rights with a focus on women in Macedonian society.

Mersiha graduated from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje. She participated in the Vital Voices Advocates Empowerment Project in the Balkans in 2019.

She was selected as a Fellow for the 2019-2020 VV Engage Cohort.