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DE RUEHVJ #2229/01 2920735
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 190735Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7226
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SARAJEVO 002229 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/IWI (BOTTNER) AND EUR/SCE 
(FOOKS,STINCHCOMB) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KWMN KPAO BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA - WOMAN OF COURAGE NOMINATION FOR FATA 
ORLOVIC 
 
REF: SECSTATE 126072 
 
¶1. (U)  Post nominates Fata Orlovic as an International Woman 
of Courage for 2008.  For more than 8 years, Ms. Orlovic, a 
Muslim, has been involved in a political and legal battle 
with the Government of the Republika Srpska (RS) and the Serb 
Orthodox Church for the return of property illegally taken 
from her during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.  Ms. Orlovic's 
defense of her property and her struggle for justice has 
established a standard for other returnees, many of whom are 
poor, elderly, illiterate widows like herself, who are 
struggling to rebuild their lives in Bosnia's post-war 
society.  Her non-violent persistence in the face of 
nationalist threats to her safety, in addition to her 
steadfast determination against a legal system prone to 
manipulation and discrimination, has repeatedly demonstrated 
that Ms. Orlovic is a woman of strength and courage deserving 
of our recognition. 
 
¶2. (U) Fata Orlovic has been battling RS and Serb Orthodox 
Church authorities since 1999 when she returned to her home 
in the eastern RS town of Konjevic Polje to find a Serb 
Orthodox church had been illegally built in her front yard. 
During the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, Serb forces ethnically 
cleansed local Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) and many, like the 
Orlovic family, went to live in the Srebrenica enclave.  When 
Serb forces overran the UN-protected safe haven in 1995, Ms. 
Orlovic and her children were separated from her husband and 
taken to a town near the city of Tuzla where they spent the 
remainder of the war.  Ms. Orlovic's husband, 22 close family 
members, and more than 7800 other Bosniak men and boys were 
then systematically killed in what the International Court of 
Justice has declared a genocide.  Mr. Orlovic's remains were 
discovered in a mass grave years later, and he was buried 
with other Srebrenica victims at the Potocari Memorial and 
Cemetery in July, 2005 -- the tenth anniversary of his death. 
 
¶3. (U)  During the war, internally displaced Serbs from other 
parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina moved into the houses and 
neighborhoods of Bosniaks who had been forcibly removed.  The 
Serb Orthodox Church then built churches in these areas to 
service the religious needs of the new inhabitants and to 
send a nationalist message of Serb dominance.  Illegal 
construction of the church in the Orlovic front yard began in 
1996, following the signing of the Dayton Accords that ended 
the 1992-1995 conflict. The church was completed in 1997 at 
the same time that Bosniaks began returning to Konjevic 
Polje.  This was also the same time that many Serb refugees 
began to leave the town.  For three years, Ms. Orlovic 
struggled to have her house returned, but the Serb Orthodox 
priest who had moved into her home refused to leave until the 
RS Minister for Refugees and Displaced Persons signed an 
eviction notice.  The original decision read that all of the 
Orlovic property should be restored, including the land where 
the church had been built.  Powerful Serb Orthodox Bishop 
Vladika Vasilije, however, allegedly intervened and used his 
influence to have authorities change the decision to read 
that only her house would be returned, and not the land 
encumbered by the church. 
 
¶4. (U) Since her return to Konjevic Polje, Ms. Orlovic has 
tenaciously fought to have the church removed and her land 
returned.  In 2002, she filed a lawsuit against the Serb 
Orthodox Church, but the RS courts have yet to issue a ruling 
on her case.  She notes that there are no Serbs in Konjevic 
Polje, and therefore no reason to have a church there.  The 
church is only used to celebrate Serb national holidays, 
which are attended by Serbs from neighboring towns and are 
intended to discourage Bosniak returns, frighten and 
antagonize non-Serbs, and raise inter-ethnic tensions in the 
municipality.  Because of her outspoken battle against the 
church, Ms. Orlovic, who lives alone, frequently faces 
threats and harassment.  She has received letters telling her 
to leave her property and stop her fight. On several 
occasions Ms. Orlovic has confronted the Serb Orthodox 
priests who hold services in the church, telling them to get 
off her land.  For this, she was indicted by RS officials for 
"instigating religious hatred and intolerance."  She was 
acquitted of all charges at trial. 
 
¶5. (U) In June, the RS Government finally set aside 
approximately $120,000 to relocate the church to a new 
location.  There is concern, however, that the Serb Orthodox 
Church will take its time in relocating the church.  In the 
meantime, Ms. Orlovic says she is determined not to leave her 
property until the church is removed.  She has turned down 
generous offers from the RS and the Serb Orthodox Church to 
purchase the land, trips to see her children now living 
abroad, and an offer from the Bosnian Islamic Community for 
 
SARAJEVO 00002229  002 OF 002 
 
 
an all expenses paid Hajj because she says she will not leave 
Bosnia until the church is gone. 
 
¶6. (U) Fata Orlovic's property dispute highlights just one of 
Bosnia's many human rights abuses requiring resolution.  Her 
case has national implications, as minority returnee 
communities in all parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina face similar 
discrimination and harassment by majority populations.  The 
Orlovic case, long iconic in Bosnia, has recently taken on 
celebrity status winning the attention of international media 
outlets like the Associated Press and the British 
Broadcasting Corporation. Although Ms. Orlovic may not be a 
typical candidate for the Woman of Courage honor, she has 
become a symbol of the Bosnian struggle against systematic 
discrimination, religious intolerance and injustice.  We 
believe there is no better example in defense of human 
dignity than the indomitable spirit, strength and 
perseverance of Ms. Fata Orlovic. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Ms. Orlovic has been notified of our intent to 
nominate her, and her personal information is as follows: 
 
Full Legal Name: Fata Orlovic 
Job Title:  Pensioner 
Date of Birth:  Ms. Orlovic does not know when she was born, 
but thinks she is approximately 67 years old 
Citizenship: Bosnia and Herzegovina 
Address: Konjevic Polje, 75420, Bratunac, BiH 
Telephone: 387-61-104-105 
E-mail: Ms. Orlovic does not have an e-mail 
Passport Number: Ms. Orlovic does not yet have a passport 
ENGLISH