Bardhabora Berisha

**Children** | 4

**Bardhabora Berisha** (born 14 March 1956) is a Notoshan author and human rights activist who was the first lady of Notosha from 2010 until 2014. She has been married to former prime minister and president of Notosha Gazmadh Xhanari since 1977.

Berisha was born in Tepekar to a small, rural, farming family. She had little formal education, and after completing primary school in 1970, began assisting her family members on their farm full-time. After her marriage in 1977, Berisha became a stay-at-home mother and homemaker, raising her and her husband's four daughters. Berisha became a household name amidst the Notosha War (1994–2000), when her husband became the commanding officer of the Notoshan Liberation Army (NLA). Her 1998 kidnapping by Lorbian nationalists and subsequent two-year detainment in Senovo became a *cause célèbre* in Notosha and Asbania, which greatly increased support for the NLA amongst ethnic Asbanians and led to international intervention from the Supranational Council (SC) to end the war in 2000.

Since being freed from her detainment, Berisha has authored two memoirs about her experiences, which have gone on to become best-sellers in Notosha and Asbania. She has additionally spoken at a number of women's rights conferences and advocated for the awareness of kidnapping and human trafficking internationally.

## Early life and education

Berisha was born on 14 March 1956 in Tepekar – then known as Tapika – to parents Leon Berisha (1931–2007) and Përparime Bardhi (1932–1973). 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 Tepekar but still quite poor on a national scale, living in a small three-bedroom home. Berisha was the younger of two children; her elder brother was Dukagjin (1953–1995), who died while fighting for the Notoshan Liberation Army (NLA) in the Notosha War (1994–2000).

Berisha began her education in 1962, attending a local, public primary school in Tepekar. While in primary school, Berisha excelled in reading and writing, and wanted to become an author. She graduated from primary school in 1970, and opted not to attend secondary school in order to help out on her family farm full-time. In 1973, when she was 17 years old, her mother died in a traffic accident, which impacted Berisha greatly. She subsequently retreated from physical labor on the farm in order to become the woman of the house, taking over for her mother when it came to cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry.

Berisha married Gazmadh Xhanari in 1977, and he subsequently moved into her family home. Berisha continued in her role as the woman of the house, becoming primarily a homemaker. In 1980, they moved into their own three-bedroom home in Tepekar, where the family resided until 1996. Following the move, Xhanari returned to work on his own family farm, and the Berisha family farm was ultimately sold by her father in 1999.

## Notosha War (1994–2000)

### War beginnings

In 1990, both Berisha and Xhanari joined an Asbanian nationalist and anti-fascist resistance group. They kept their membership a secret from all family members in order to protect them, but attended weekly meetings in nearby Elbaçaj. Amidst growing tensions between Notoshans and Lorbian nationalists rising to power, in 1993, Xhanari began a military training program in Asbania in order to prepare for any potential armed conflict. Berisha supported her husband's decision to attend the training. In a 2012 interview, she stated she would have signed herself up as well if the program accepted women recruits.

While Xhanari was in Asbania for the eight-month training, Berisha told family members that he had begun taking a class at the University of Liana in entrepreneurship for rural farmers. In his absence, Berisha began working at the Xhanari family farm part-time. After he returned from the training in November 1993, Berisha assisted the NLA in recruitment, recruiting her elder brother and speaking with friends about encouraging their male family members to join. With the outbreak of the war in September 1994, Berisha felt as if she and her family would be safe in their Tepekar home, as it was in a rural community that was quite isolated from the rest of the population. However, after a neighbor reported to her that she had heard Lorbian forces would be invading Tepekar in search for Xhanari, the family moved to an apartment complex in Astina in March 1996. The apartment received 24-hour protection from the NLA.

### 1998 kidnapping

In June 1998, the NLA instructed Berisha that she and her family must evacuate their apartment due to security concerns. They settled them in an Astina hotel suite, and believed that the family would be safe there. However, less than a week later Lorbian forces stormed the hotel and killed the NLA guards protecting the family. They kidnapped Berisha in front of her four daughters, and took her to Senovo as a prisoner. Berisha's eldest daughter Beltina suffered a gunshot wound to the leg after attempting to protect her mother, which she received hospital treatment for.

The kidnapping became a high-profile news story throughout Notosha and Asbania, which resulted in sweeping support for the NLA amongst Asbanians. Afterwards, her four daughters were sent to Liana for their safety, where they resided in a large apartment building that received 24-hour protection from the Asbanian Armed Forces. Xhanari sold their apartment shortly afterwards for his own safety, and began residing in an underground bunker in an undisclosed location in Notosha.

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 the prison guards and Lorbian forces, in attempts to get her to give up military strategy for the NLA. Due to anti-Asbanian sentiment in Lorbia, Berisha also was frequently subjected to beatings and ridicule by fellow inmates, and referred to her time in prison as "worse than Hell." In December 1998, she began a hunger strike to protest her treatment, but was beaten in response and given a feeding tube.

Berisha's kidnapping became worldwide news and influenced the Supranational Council (SC) to intervene in the war. In May 2000, she was freed by joint SC and NLA forces following the storming of Senovo. The war was later ultimately ended the following month, with the beginning of SC-administered Notosha.

## Post-war activities

Following the end of the war, Lorbian leaders were put on trial at the International Court of Justice in The Hidewind for war crimes. Berisha was brought to The Hidewind in order to testify against her kidnappers and torturers, with the Lorbian forces responsible for her capture and female prison guards responsible for her torture convicted of crimes such as human trafficking, terrorism, torture, and attempted murder. In a 2003 interview, Berisha stated that she was "satisfied" with the outcome.

In 2000, Berisha joined the Democratic Party, founded by her husband, and campaigned with him throughout Notosha for the 2000 parliamentary election. Ahead of the 2004 parliamentary election, it was rumored that Berisha would be included on the party list, but she ultimately denied any interest in becoming a politician or entering politics.

In 2005, Berisha released the memoir *Prapa shurëve* ("Behind bars"), 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 throughout Notosha and Asbania, while translated copies also sold well internationally. Following the success of the book, Berisha became known as an international human rights activist, campaigning for awareness of human trafficking and kidnapping. She spoke at numerous conferences throughout the world on human trafficking, and additionally spoke at women's rights conferences internationally. In 2014, she released her second memoir *Rrlindje* ("Rebirth"), which addressed her struggles readapting to the outside world following her release, and became her second best-seller.

### First Lady of Notosha

Berisha became the first lady of Notosha on 25 September 2010, following the 2010 presidential election, becoming the first person to step into the role. 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.

She was succeeded by Ladan Idrizi (as first gentleman) following the 2014 presidential election, when Idrizi's wife Ilzabete Kafriti was elected as president, succeeding Berisha's husband Gazmadh Xhanari.

## Personal life

Berisha began a relationship with Gazmadh Xhanari in 1973, when she was only 17 years old and he was 19. Their families had been friends, and decided that their children marrying would be an economically good decision. Initially, Berisha and Xhanari did not get along, and so they tried to delay their wedding as long as possible. They later fell in love in 1977, and married later that year. They had four daughters together: Beltina, born  (1979-02-09) 9 February 1979 (age 44), Ligjërime, born  (1980-04-20) 20 April 1980 (age 43), Mjaltina, born  (1982-06-07) 7 June 1982 (age 41), and Ladona, born  (1984-10-22) 22 October 1984 (age 39). The family resided in a small home in Tepekar until 1996, when they moved to Astina.

Berisha holds citizenship to both Notosha and Asbania. She was granted honorary Asbanian citizenship in 2000, along with her husband, due to their contributions to Asbanian culture. Meanwhile, she became a Notoshan citizen after the declaration of Notoshan independence in 2010. Berisha previously held Alaslavian citizenship from her birth until 1994, and Lorbian citizenship from 1994 until 2010. She is fluent in Asbanian, Lorbian, and Ditrovian, and is a Eurean Muslim.