Protesters gathered in front of the High Judicial Council in Tripoli Monday to press their demands for withdrawing from the MoU that the Minister of State for Women Affairs, Houria Tarmal, inked with the UN.

Last October, the Administrative Control Authority ordered an inquiry into the signing of the agreement that critics say violates the Islamic law, but the investigation remains outstanding to date.

Minister Tarmal denied any wrongdoing saying the Libyan state had signed the CEDAW agreement ratified with reservation since 1989 and that the document she signed was related to women, peace, and security in Libya.

Activists with legal backgrounds waded in the debate, writing that the MoU that Tarmal signed obliges the Libyan state to implement all items of the Cedaw, including those with reservations against them.

The agreement includes developing an operational plan for implemnting Resolution (1325) through cooperation to end "Gender-based violence against women" as seen by the UN, as well as the 2030 development plan without reservations to items that violate the Islamic law, the activists argue.

Ruqayya bin Hamid a social activist and a founding member of the (Educated Women Movement) said, "We are here to voice our rejection of the silence of the Supreme Judicial Council on the MoU signed between the Minister of State for Women Affairs and the UN Women department.

"The MoU contains items that violate the peremptory provisions of Islamic law and affects the values of our society and its constitution, it even lacks common sense," Bin Hamid told The Libya Observer.

The memorandum was not submitted to the relevant authorities and lacked the approvals of administrative bodies, Bin Hamid added, confirming that they are ready to take the matter to court.

The protesters handed the High Judicial Council a petition signed by individuals and organizations, including 35 SCOs requesting an intervention to cancel the agreement.