Human rights activist and former Kosovo MP Flora Brovina has died at the age of 76. Her family announced Brovina’s death.
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PDK Chairman Bedri Hamza said that words were insufficient to express the loss of Brovina. He remembered her as a symbol of resilience and love for her homeland.
Who was Flora Brovina?
Brovina was a doctor, poet, humanitarian, human rights activist, former political prisoner, veteran of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) war, MP and signatory of Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence.
Dr. Flora Brovina, born on September 30, 1949, in Skenderaj, was one of the best-known figures in Kosovo’s humanitarian, political, social and cultural life. For more than five decades, her work was intertwined with medicine, the defense of human and women’s rights, national resistance, literature and the establishment of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo.
Humanitarian work and the Kosovo War
During the years of repression, and particularly during the Kosovo War, Flora Brovina continued her humanitarian and medical activities in Pristina.
Rather than leaving Kosovo, she continued caring for women, children and families affected by the war. PEN America notes that she remained in Pristina during the war and ran a shelter for women and children.
Human Rights Watch documented that Serbian authorities accused her, among other things, of providing food, clothing and medical supplies to the Kosovo Liberation Army.
Her record of national service also includes the status of a veteran of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s war — the KLA.
Arrest and political imprisonment
On April 20, 1999, during the war, Flora Brovina was arrested in Pristina by Serbian forces.
Following her arrest, she was initially held in Kosovo and later, shortly before the arrival of international forces, transferred along with hundreds of Albanian prisoners to prisons in Serbia.
On December 9, 1999, a court in Nish sentenced her to 12 years in prison in a trial that was strongly criticized by international human rights organizations. Human Rights Watch reported serious procedural irregularities, while Serbia’s Supreme Court later annulled the decision and ordered a retrial.
Amnesty International declared Flora Brovina a “Prisoner of Conscience” and launched an international campaign for her release.
International institutions and organizations also publicly called for her release. The European Parliament addressed her case and called for the release of Kosovo’s Albanian political prisoners.
After nearly 19 months in prison, Flora Brovina was released on November 1, 2000. The U.S. State Department publicly welcomed her release, describing her as a prominent human rights activist.
