Fata Orlović
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Fata Orlović (; born 6 August 1942) is a Bosnian woman who was in a legal battle with authorities of
Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...
since she moved back to her home in the Bosnian village of Konjević Polje near
Bratunac Bratunac ( sr-cyrl, Братунац) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the municipality has a population of 20,340 inhabitants, while the town of Bratunac has a population of 8,359 inhabita ...
five years after the end of the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
in 2000 until 2021. In 2000, Orlović, who had been living as a refugee and war widow ever since the end of the war, returned to her home in Konjević Polje to find that a
Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...
church had been built on the piece of her property. She was in the legal struggle to claim the right to the property for over 20 years.


Pre-war life

Fata was born on 6 August 1942 to
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
and ethnically
Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
parents Šaban and Zlatka Husejnović, in the eastern Bosnian hamlet Hrnčići on the outskirts of
Bratunac Bratunac ( sr-cyrl, Братунац) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the municipality has a population of 20,340 inhabitants, while the town of Bratunac has a population of 8,359 inhabita ...
. She married Šaćir Orlović, with whom she had seven children including four daughters: Fatima, Zlatka, Hurija, and Senija; and three sons: Šaban, Hasan, and Ejub. Before the war, Fata had four houses and four stables. Along with many Bosniaks living in the hill villages of the
Drina Valley Podrinje ( sr-Cyrl, Подриње) is the Slavic name of the Drina river basin, known in English as the Drina Valley. The Drina basin is shared between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, with majority of its territory being located in Eastern B ...
, she was expelled from the village by the
Army of Republika Srpska The Army of Republika Srpska (; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed Serb secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Bosnia and Herz ...
during the war. Her husband Šaćir and between 22 and 28 other family members were killed and she and her seven children made refugees.


Return to Konjević Polje and legal battle

When she returned to Konjević Polje in 2000, she found that her home had been completely demolished and a
Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...
church built on her land. The church was built in the summer of 1996, upon the end of the war. Fata Orlović has fought tenaciously to have the church removed from her garden, in the face of bureaucratic resistance and physical intimidation. She pursued a legal action through the courts which found in her favour and against the priest, ordering the church to be demolished. Although her lawyer advised her to file charges for the mistreatment, injuries and death threats she received, Fata preferred to set an example to her opponents, maintaining that "We should let things go now, it is the smartest thing to do. I am hurt, but I can not hurt anymore." She insisted that she was proud of herself and her children, and of her "smart but agonized people." Her efforts were supported by journalists who wholeheartedly supported Fata and helped spread the news of her struggle. In 2007, the
Government of Republika Srpska Government of Republika Srpska ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Влада Републике Српске, Vlada Republika Srpske) is the executive authority of Republika Srpska, along with the President of Republika Srpska. The Prime Minister is ...
agreed to fund the relocation of the church. The
Office of the High Representative The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was created in 1995 immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement which ended the 1992 to 1995 Bos ...
welcomed the agreement as a sign that Fata Orlović's right to private property would be respected. Fata Orlović's fight against the church is regarded as a test of the potential for restoration of the rule of law in a divided Bosnia. According to James Rodehaver, human rights director for the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...
(OSCE) in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, the relocation of the church will be an important indicator of a return to the rule of law and the possibility of resolving the legacy of the war. Fata Orlović had previously stated that she would get rid of the church even if it meant her own death. She has had to build her own home on the charred remains of the old one, with her own funds and some assistance from
Sulejman Tihić Sulejman Tihić (26 November 1951 – 25 September 2014) was a Bosnian politician who served as the 4th List of Bosniak members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2002 to 2 ...
, former member of the
government of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian language, Bosnian/Croatian language, Croatian: ''Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine'', ), often called Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina (, ), is the Executive (government), execu ...
, who provided roofing tiles, windows, and doors. For a long time she had to get by without electricity or a water supply.


Awards

The US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina nominated Fata Orlović for the international "The Woman of Courage" award, given to brave women who fight for their rights in a nonviolent way. Orlović was chosen as the 2007 Person of the Year by the Bosnian newspapers " Dnevni avaz" and "Preporod".


Documentary

Orlović was the subject of an
Al Jazeera Balkans Al Jazeera Balkans (AJB) is an international news television station headquartered in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina aimed at the media markets of the countries that used to be constituent units of SFR Yugoslavia. It is part of the Al Jazeer ...
documentary in November 2012 called ''The House That Fata Didn't Build''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orlovic, Fata 1942 births Living people People from Bratunac Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims Bosnia and Herzegovina women activists Yugoslav Wars refugees