Bardhabora Berisha

**Bardhabora Berisha** (born 17 January 1955), sometimes known as **Bardhabora Xhanari**, is a Notoshan author and activist who was the first lady of Notosha from 2010 until 2020. She has been married to Zgur Xhanari since 1975. She has been dubbed as "the mother of Notosha."

Berisha was born in Peqnar into a farming family. After completing her secondary education in 1973, Berisha began to assist her family full-time on the family farm. Following her marriage in 1975, she became a homemaker and stay-at-home mother, raising her and her husband's four daughters. Berisha became a household name amidst the Notosha War (1997–2000), while her husband was serving as commander-in-chief of the Notosha Liberation Army (NLA). Her 1998 kidnapping by Lorbian nationalists and subsequent two-year detainment in Senovo became one of the most high-profile news stories of the war, receiving widespread attention internationally and attracting support for the Notoshans. Berisha was freed in 2000, shortly after the conclusion of the war amidst intervention from the Supranational Council (SC).

Since being freed from her detainment, Berisha has authored two memoirs about her experiences, which have both become best-sellers in Notosha and Asbania, in addition to being translated and sold internationally. She has also established a career as an anti-human trafficking activist, being invited to speak at human rights conferences internationally about kidnapping, human trafficking, and her experiences.

## Early life and education

Berisha was born on 17 January 1955 in Peqnar – then known as Pečnar – to parents Florian Berisha (1930–1981) and Vitmira Mishaxhi (1932–1956). Her parents operated a small farm where they grew a variety of fruits and vegetables, both for personal consumption and to sell at a local market. The family was of modest socioeconomic status, being one of the higher-class families in Peqnar but still quite poor on a national scale, living in a small three-bedroom home. When Berisha was one year old, her mother died during childbirth, along with the baby. Her father later married Erdetta Chani (1936–2009) in 1960, with whom he had two other daughters: Përgëzime (born 1961) and Verzana (born 1965).

Berisha began her education in 1961, attending the local primary school in Peqnar. While in school, Berisha was a gifted student with a strong interest in reading and writing. Berisha's teachers urged her father and stepmother to send her to a preparatory school in Astina or Asbania, but they refused, as she was needed to help work on the family farm. Berisha ultimately graduated from primary school in 1969, and enrolled in a local secondary school in nearby Vakuhovë. While in secondary school, Berisha developed a sense of wanderlust and ambition to leave Peqnar and pursue academia with university studies, although this ambition was quickly rejected by her parents. Berisha graduated from secondary school in 1973, becoming the first member of her family with a secondary school diploma. After completing her education, Berisha remained in Peqnar to work on her family farm full-time. Following her marriage in 1975, her husband also moved onto the family land and began working on the farm. In 1981, Berisha's father died in an automobile accident, and the family farm and business was inherited by her due to Alaslavian inheritance laws, as no eldest son existed.

In 2013, Berisha completed a bachelor's degree in Asbanian literature from the University of Astina, after studying as a part-time student over the past eight years.

## Notosha War (1997–2000)

### Pre-war (1989–1997)

In the 1980s, Berisha's husband Zgur Xhanari became affiliated with Asbanian nationalist groups, amidst heightening tensions between the Alaslavian authorities and Notosha Asbanian community. In 1989, Berisha joined an all-female nationalist and anti-fascist group, and began attending weekly meetings in Çelisekë. She eventually rose up in the ranks of her group, becoming the organization's vice president by 1992.

In January 1993, Xhanari left Notosha to begin covert military training in Asbania, in anticipation of an armed conflict. While in Asbania, he cofounded and became the leader of the Notosha Liberation Army (NLA), an Asbanian nationalist and anti-fascist paramilitary organization. While Xhanari was in Asbania, Berisha told acquaintances that he had temporarily relocated to Druzë to complete a vocational diploma in agricultural management. In the 18 months that he was gone, Berisha began working on the family farm full-time in the roles that typically were occupied by her husband, calling it "grueling work." In a 2012 interview, Berisha stated that she would have went with Xhanari for military training if they had accepted women recruits.

Xhanari returned to Notosha permanently in June 1994, where he began to grow the NLA domestically. Berisha aided Xhanari tremendously in recruitment efforts, often speaking with friends and family members about encouraging their male relatives to join the group. Berisha additionally assisted the group with administrative issues, and by 1995, had been deemed its *de facto* secretary.

### Outbreak (1997–2000)

The Notosha War (1997–2000) began on 5 May 1997, following the invasion of Notosha by the Lorbian Armed Forces. The invasion was preceded by invasions of several neighboring countries by the Lorbian or Alaslavian militaries, now grouped together as the Alaslavian Wars (1990–2000). According to Lorbian authorities, the invasion was ordered in response to violent Asbanian nationalism espoused by groups such as the NLA, while international authorities have hailed the invasion as an attempt by the Lorbian government to commit genocide against the Notosha Asbanian community and repopulate the region with Lorbians, similarly to the cause of the other wars of the Alaslavian Wars.

Following the beginning of the war, Berisha opted to remain in Peqnar with her daughters, while Xhanari was held in a secret location in Astina District with the NLA. Berisha believed that she and her family were safe in Peqnar, as it was a remote, rural location, and the Lorbian forces would not find their home. However, in November 1997, Berisha heard from a neighbor that Lorbian forces would be invading Peqnar in search of Xhanari. Afterwards, the NLA helped relocate Berisha and her children to an apartment complex in Astina, where they were received 24 hour armed security from the NLA.

#### 1998 kidnapping

In May 1998, the NLA informed Berisha that she and her daughters must evacuate their apartment due to security concerns. The family was relocated to a hotel suite in Kosekë, where the NLA believed they would be safe. Less than a week later, Lorbian forces stormed the hotel and killed the NLA guards that were protecting the family. Berisha was kidnapped in front of her four daughters, and taken to Senovo as a prisoner. Berisha's 17-year-old daughter Ujkana suffered a gunshot wound to the leg after attempting to protect her mother, and received hospital treatment for her injury. While in Senovo, Berisha was charged by Lorbian authorities for terrorism, sedition, insurrection, and murder, and imprisoned without trial. International authorities have called all of the charges bogus, especially as Berisha was not an active member of the NLA. Following the kidnapping, Berisha's story became international news headlines, greatly increasing the publicity of the war in Notosha, solidarity for the Asbanian people internationally, and nationalist sentiment amongst Notosha Asbanians and Asbanians in Asbania. Berisha's four daughters were subsequently sent to Lirana for their safety, and resided in an apartment building there with 24-hour protection from the Asbanian Armed Forces.

During her detention, Berisha was held at a women's prison in the Crejiža district of Senovo. She was frequently subjected to torture at the hands of prison guards the Lorbian forces, in attempts to get her to give up NLA military strategy. Berisha has since confessed that she did not know of any military strategies, and at times made up fake responses in order to get the torture to stop. Due to anti-Asbanian sentiment in Lorbia, Berisha was also frequently the victim of beatings and ridicule by fellow inmates. She was involved in a serious altercation with another inmate in December 1999, after being stabbed in what was an anti-Asbanian hate attack. She was given medical attention by Lorbian authorities, and eventually made a recovery. In February 2000, she attempted a hunger strike in protest of her treatment, but was beaten in response and given a feeding tube. She has gone on to describe her time in Lorbian prison as "worse than hell."

In June 2000, the Supranational Council (SC) decided to intervene in the war due to widespread accounts of war crimes and human rights abuses, including the kidnapping of Berisha. Following airstrikes in Notosha, the Lorbian forces retreated back to Lorbia, and the war was ended by the following month. That month, Berisha was released from Lorbian custody in a prisoner exchange with the NLA, and returned to Notosha after over two years of detention.

## Post-war activities

Following the conclusion of the war, Lorbian leaders were put on trial for war crimes at the International Court of Justice in The Hidewind. Berisha was brought to The Hidewind to testify in the trial. The Lorbian forces responsible for her kidnapping and prison guards responsible for her torture were found guilty on all counts; in a 2005 interview, Berisha stated that she was "satisfied" with the outcome.

During the first Notoshan general election in November 2000, Berisha campaigned with her husband Zgur Xhanari on behalf of the New Notosha Party, and was appointed as chairwoman of the party's women's outreach campaign arm. Following the party's victory, Berisha became the inaugural spouse of the prime minister of Notosha, and used her office to advocate for victims of human trafficking and torture internationally. Ahead of the 2004 election, the Notoshan political media theorized that Berisha would be included on the New Notosha Party list and stand as a candidate, but she ultimately denied the rumors and claimed she had no interest in ever running for political office.

In 2005, Berisha released the memoir *Behind Bars* (Asbanian: *Prapa shurëve*), chronicling the events that preceded her kidnapping and her experiences as a political prisoner and victim of torture. The book became a best-seller in its original Asbanian version in Asbania and Notosha, while translated copies also sold well internationally, particularly in the Ditrovian Kingdom and Lungary. Following the success of the memoir, Berisha continued to participate in efforts to advocate on behalf of victims of human trafficking and torture. In 2006, she was invited to speak on the issue in the presence of the Supranational Council in Danchester. In 2014, she released her second memoir *Rebirth* (Asbanian: *Rrlindje*), which addressed her struggles in readapting to the outside world after her release from detention, which also became a best-seller.

### First lady

On 15 July 2010, the State Assembly declared its independence from Lorbia and the establishment of the independent Republic of Notosha as a constitutional parliamentary republic. Following the declaration, Xhanari was elected by the State Assembly unanimously to serve as the inaugural president of Notosha on the same day. Upon his election, Berisha became the inaugural first lady of Notosha. The position of first lady is an honorary and unofficial one, with no clear duties besides accompanying the president to official events. As first lady, Berisha assisted her husband in greeting foreign dignitaries to Notosha, and making international state visits, while also continuing her activism on behalf of human trafficking and torture victims.

Berisha was succeeded by Dritosh Emini (as first gentleman) following the 2020 presidential election, when Emini's wife Ilzebeta Afriti was elected president, succeeding Berisha's husband Xhanari.

## Personal life

### Nationality

Berisha holds dual citizenship to Notosha and Asbania. Upon her birth, Berisha was solely a citizen of Alaslavia, and her Alaslavian citizenship was transitioned into Lorbian citizenship following the breakup of Alaslavia, as she was an ethnic minority who would be left stateless without Alaslavian citizenship. In 2000, Berisha was awarded Asbanian citizenship by the president of Asbania due to her contributions to Asbanian society. Upon the declaration of Notoshan independence in 2010, Berisha became a Notoshan citizen and renounced her Lorbian citizenship.

Berisha is fluent in Asbanian and Ditrovian, while she is proficient in Lorbian, but cannot speak fluently. She often acts as her husband's translator while he is traveling internationally, translating between Asbanian and Ditrovian. She is a Eurean Muslim.

### Relationships and family

Berisha began a relationship with Zgur Xhanari in 1972, when she was 17 and he was 20. Their families had been friends, and arranged the marriage themselves. Initially, Berisha and Xhanari did not get along, as Berisha found Xhanari to be rude and inconsiderate, and Xhanari found Berisha to be bossy and demanding. Due to this, they attempted to delay their wedding in the hope of their parents eventually calling it off. They later fell in love in March 1975, and married that summer.

Berisha and Xhanari have four daughters together: Zana (born 1976), Afta (born 1978), Ujkana (born 1981), and Afërditë (born 1983). The family resided in a small home in Peqnar until 1998, when they moved to Astina. While her husband was serving as president of Notosha, Berisha never resided in the Presidential Palace, which was not constructed until 2019, and the family instead maintained their personal residence in Astina.