The Civil Initiative FOL (Speak Up) on Tuesday presented the Award for Civic Courage for 2014. The award was given to Shyhrete Berisha from Suhareke/Suva Reka. Petrit Zogaj from FOL said that this award is given in recognition for personalities engaged in protecting the public interest and human rights in Kosovo. “Shyhrete’s confrontation for realization of her inheritance rights highlights the problem of social inequality and women’s rights in general in Kosovo. She is an example of consistent commitment to the realization of inheritance rights. Despite the injustice and discrimination that was done to her, she has not stopped,” said Zogaj.
Shyhrete Berisha thanked FOL, for the prize and said that she has one request, “that the Kosovo institutions take the responsibility on the inheritance of property by women, guaranteed by law and that this right is not to remain in the will of the people.” Sibel Halimi from FOL noted that “in a lengthy contest of court proceedings which was initiated 13 years ago, Shyhrete is facing a denial of the right to inherit the house where she lived with her husband and four children, who were murdered during the war in Kosovo.”
