Reports

Confronting the Past and Transitional Justice – A Feminist Approach
This educational program consists of several elements that can be classified in the following way:
Street actions related to Confronting the Past / Transitional Justice – marking and commemorating the crimes that were committed in our name, commemorations, as well as other war crimes committed against the civilian population:

April 11, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Participation in the Peace March, which is organized on every eleventh day of the month by The Association of Women of Srebrenica from Tuzla, in the form of a peaceful protest in memory of the Srebrenica genocide. This action is held to demand the truth about their killed and missing relatives and justice – the punishment of the perpetrators of these crimes.
This time, 21 Women in Black Network– Serbia activists joined the protest. The activists were from the following cities: Belgrade, Novi Sad, Leskovac, Vlasotince, Vrbas and Niš.

May 12, Bratunac, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Five Women in Black – Belgrade activists attended the commemoration of the 16th anniversary of the crimes committed against the Bosnian civilians from Bratunac. During the second collective burial and funeral service for the victims of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, tribute was paid to innocent Bosnian victims. The first burial and funeral service for 96 innocent victims was held on May 12, 2007. In April and May 1992, 602 persons of Bosnian nationality were killed in Bratunac, and on May 12, 1992, about eighty civilians – children, women and men ranging between nine months to 86 years – were killed within an hour. These crimes were committed by the armed forces of Republika Srpska and the Serbian regime of S. Milošević. Women in Black activists laid down a wreath bearing the words ‘Let us not forget the crimes committed in Bratunac in ’92 –Women in Black, Belgrade’, as a sign of remembrance and respect for the victims. This manifestation, which was organized by the Association of the Women of Podrinje 1992 – 1995, was also attended by five activists of the Women in Black Network – Italy.

May 25, Višegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Nine Women in Black activists from Serbia participated in commemorating the 16th anniversary of the crimes committed against Bosnian civilians from the Višegrad municipality. For the occasion, three thousand roses were cast in the Drina River from the Mehmed Pasha Sokolović Bridge in memory of the 3,000 killed and missing persons. These crimes were committed by the Republika Srpska armed forces, supported by the regime of S. Milošević.
Women in Black Network – Serbia activists dropped a wreath with the inscription “We will never forget the Višegrad crimes” into the river alongside the 3,000 roses.

May 31, Belgrade: A performance through the foundation ‘Cure’ from Sarajevo, supported by Women in Black, which was titled “Bujrum, Izvol’te”. The performance served as a reminder of the war atrocities committed and the methods of survival during the siege of Sarajevo (1992-1995) by the Serb armed forces. On the occasion, food prepared according to the recipes from the wartime period was served. The performance took place by the Sebilj Fountain. In addition to the food, the participants of the performance distributed copies of recipes from that period and a coffee drink prepared from lentil and barley.

June 11, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina: The participation of five Women in Black – Belgrade activists in the Peace March which is organized every eleventh day of the month by The Association of Women of Srebrenica -- Tuzla as a form of peaceful protest in remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide.

July 10, Belgrade: A protest action in remembrance of the thirteenth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and to mark the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Prevention of Genocide. The action was held on Republic Square in Belgrade under the motto ‘Let us not forget the Srebrenica genocide – Solidarity and Accountability’. On the occasion, the documentary ‘The Women of Srebrenica’, produced by Women in Black and directed by Milica Tomić, a renowned artist, was shown on a large display. It is worth noting that this was the first time in Belgrade, and in Serbia, that the testimony of the women of Srebrenica, the relatives of the killed and missing in that massacre, was shown in an open space, that being one of the major squares in the country’s capital. The women testified about the genocide and their killed or missing loved ones while sending the citizens of Belgrade and Serbia messages of peace and demands for justice and accountability. The 17-minute documentary was shown four times successively, with very powerful amplifiers and in the presence of several hundred activists from throughout Serbia and renowned public and cultural figures. Since the action was in the busiest part of the city, there were also a large number of pedestrians who stopped to see and hear the messages of the women of Srebrenica. It must be emphasized that the whole manifestation unfolded without a single incident and that almost all electronic and printed media reported on the action, with a special emphasis on the statements of the women of Srebrenica.

July 11, Potočare/Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Presence at the commemoration on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and the burial and funeral service of the 307 identified victims of the genocide. According to the International Red Cross database, 8,372 persons of Bosnian nationality were killed in Srebrenica, whereas the relatives of the killed and missing are still looking for around ten thousand persons. The commemoration was attended by 57 activists of the Women in Black Network from all over Serbia and related organizations such as: The Humanitarian Law Fund, The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, The Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights, and Queeria. In addition, this action was joined by a dozen international activists and volunteers from the following countries: Italy, France, Russia, Israel, USA, Portugal, Great Britain, and Sweden. On the occasion, a wreath was laid at the Memorial Center in Potočare with the following inscription: ‘We will never forget the Srebrenica genocide – Women in Black Network –Serbia.’

July 23, Kozarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina: The participation of Women in Black Network – Serbia activists in the commemoration of the 16th anniversary of the crimes committed by the Serbian armed forces in Prijedor. The Women in Black activists also attended the burial and funeral service of 70 identified victims.
In the course of 1992, more than 7,000 civilians, predominantly Bosniaks, were detained and tortured in the camps of Omarska, Keraterm and Trnoplje. In memory of the victims and in solidarity with the families, and also with the victims of the aggression, a wreath was laid displaying the message ‘With the deepest sympathy and solidarity – Women in Black Network –Serbia.’

The commemoration of war crimes committed against the civilian population on May 31, Belgrade: The participation of 68 Women in Black Network – Serbia activists in the protest rally organized by the families of the Radio Television Serbia (RTS) employees who were killed during the NATO bombing in 1999. In April 1999, the RTS building was targeted and 16 RTS workers were killed in the attack.
The protest action was organized as a reaction to the request of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SRS) for Dragoljub Milanović’s release from prison. He is the former RTS manager who was sentenced for having requested the staff to remain in their workplaces in spite of being informed that the RTS building was going to be bombed. Women in Black activists, together with the victims’ families and numerous citizens, laid red flowers on the monument to the victims called “Why?” in the park of Tašmajdan. Women in Black activists from Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina also participated in this action of protest.

July 18, Belgrade: Attendance of the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the crimes against civilians of Serb nationality in Kosovo, near the community of Orahovac, in the villages of Opteruša and Retimlje (where 25 Serbs were killed in July 1998). The commemoration was organized by the Association of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared in Kosovo and Metohija. Women in Black activists and activists from the Humanitarian Law Fund from Belgrade laid wreaths to express sympathy and solidarity with the families of the victims of the crimes.

August 4, Belgrade: Participation in the commemoration of the 13th anniversary of the expulsion of the Serb population from Krajina (Croatia) during the military operation ‘Storm’.

Visiting the sites of the crimes that were committed in our name: As it was stated before, during this reporting period we organized several visits to the sites of the crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with our active participation in the marking of anniversaries of the crimes, addressing the public, encounters and exchanges with the victims’ families and associations that organized commemorations, peace actions, etc:

- Tuzla, April 11 and June 11: A dialogue with the relatives of the killed and missing in the Srebrenica genocide, on the premises of organization The Association of Women of Srebrenica and also in Srebrenica, on May 12, with the participation of Women in Black activists from Italy;
- Bratunac, May 12: A gathering with the victims’ families and members of the association ‘Women of Podrinje 1992-1995’;
- Višegrad, May 25: Meeting with the victims’ families, civilian victims of the aggression, and the organizers of the commemoration ‘Višegrad ‘92’ – the Association of Families of the Disappeared;
- Potočare/Srebrenica, July 11: Thirteenth anniversary of the genocide – meetings with the victims’ families;
- Kozarac, July 23: Gatherings with the victims of the crimes in the Prijedor area, including with women activists of the organization ‘Srcem do mira’ (‘Reaching peace with our hearts’).

Also, in this reporting period we had exchanges in Belgrade with the Serbian civilian, through the commemorations of the crimes that were committed against them in Kosovo and in Croatia. A memorial service for the victims in Kosovo was held at the cemetery of Orlovača, whereas a memorial service for the victims from Croatia was held in St Mark’s Church in Belgrade.

Artistic Engagement in Confronting the Past / Transitional Justice
The film ‘The Women of Srebrenica Speak’, produced by Women in Black and directed by Milica Tomić, one of the most eminent multimedia artists in Serbia and in the region, was shown on July 10 for 68 minutes. The 17-minute film was shown four times successively, on a large display with powerful amplifiers. It was the first time since the beginning of the wars in the former Yugoslavia that the victims of Srebrenica’s statements were heard on the central city square, on the eve of the anniversary of the genocide. The relatives of the Srebrenica victims testified about the genocide, addressing the citizens of Belgrade and Serbia on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the genocide. The film consists of interviews with the relatives of those who were killed and are missing, and was shot entirely in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the massive support of The Association Women of Srebrenica, based in Tuzla (BiH).
Their statements are in fact an inner dialogue they have conducted for thirteen years already with the institutions in Serbia, and the successors of the regime that they hold accountable. The institutions and leaders give them false promises, refusing to admit the crimes and fulfill international obligations towards the victims of the genocide and refusing to respect the dignity of the victims. It is a dialogue with the community in Serbia in whose name the Srebrenica genocide was committed, a community where relativization and even denial of the genocide pervade. It is a dialogue with a community where the criminals are glorified and there is a lack of empathy and solidarity with the victims of the crimes that were committed in our name. It is important to remark that on the next day (July 11), the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, B92 broadcasted the principal version of the film “The Women of Srebrenica Talk”.
“The Mirror – Srebrenica”: During the peace action “Let us not forget the Srebrenica genocide – Solidarity and Accountability” Republic Square was covered with flyers –silver stickers (made of aluminum foil) bearing only one word: Srebrenica (Dimensions 15 x 23 cm).
“The Mirror – Srebrenica” is a paradigm of the Srebrenica genocide on the institutional and social level in Serbia, with a powerful political and moral message, appealing to the citizens of Serbia to confront themselves and all the crimes that were committed in their name. It is a paradigm emphasizing the need to remember the genocide by publicly and institutionally revealing the truth about the genocide, demanding the sanctioning of all the perpetrators of this crime and the need to respect the dignity of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide.
Having covered the entire square with these stickers, we also placed them in the central streets of Belgrade. The authors of this engaged piece of art as a part of our action were Boban Stojanović and Adam Puškar, Queeria and WiB activists.
During the peace action, white roses were laid as a token of remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide.

July 10, Belgrade: A press conference “Let us not forget the Srebrenica genocide” organized by G8 -- The Coalition Against the Impunity of War Crimes. The press conference was held as a part of the joint organization of the marking of the 13th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. In June and July 2008, the organizations making up the coalition held numerous working meetings. The organizations who participated: the Humanitarian Law Fund, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, the Center for Cultural Decontamination, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights, Queeria Center and Women in Black. In addition to these activities, many other joint activities were organized, such as a press conference in the International Press Center in Belgrade on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. During the conference, which was attended by 60 people, the film ‘The Women of Srebrenica Speak’ was shown and young activists of the above mentioned groups spoke. Mirjana Karanović, a world-famous actress from Belgrade, also spoke; it should be emphasized that her leading role in the film ‘Grbavica’, which was directed by Jasmina Žbanić (BiH), focused on the issue of rape of Bosnian women during war. Ten electronic and printed media reported on this press conference.

The promotion of the publication ‘Women’s Side of War’: A compilation containing 120 women’s testimonies, journals and memories about the wars that were waged on the territory of the former Yugoslavia in the period 1991 – 1999; the compilation consists of 14 chapters (‘Vukovar’, ‘Before the wall of silence’, ‘Man is a frightening source of violence and pain’, ‘They took away everything’, ‘The siege of Sarajevo’, ‘Run away and protect the children’, ‘The Women of Krajina’, ‘Srebrenica’, ‘The Voices of the Disappeared’, ‘Lights in the Tunnel’, ‘Women Look Back’, ‘Kosovo’, ‘‘Humanitarian’ intervention’, and ‘Crossing the line’). The compilation consists of 425 pages and is the result of eleven years of research by Women in Black. It was accomplished through regional cooperation with women’s organizations and human rights organizations, as well as individuals. The compilation was edited by Lina Vušković and Zorica Trifunović. The promotion was accompanied by a performance by Dah Theater from Belgrade that was directed by Dijana Milošević. It was a form of an artistic engagement in confronting the past and transitional justice from the feminist point of view, using fragments of the women’s testimonies from the published compilation. The promotions were held in the following cities:
May 27, Kikinda: Held in the National Library with the support of the local women’s organization ŽAR (Women’s Alternative Workshop) and attended by 35 people.
May 28, Pančevo: In the Cultural Center with the support of the local women’s peace group (ŽMIG); it was attended by more than 50 people.

Punishment of Crimes – A road to peace through justice: Monitoring the Belgrade Special Court for War Crimes trials.

Trials for the Suva Reka crimes: On March 26, 1999, members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia killed 48 Albanian civilians. Since October 2, 2006, Women in Black activists have attended all the trials that have been held so far. During this reporting period trials were held on the following dates: June 2-5 and July 1-2.
Activists of Women in Black – Serbia monitor the trials and send their reports to other organizations in the Network and to the International Network we cooperate with.
The trials for the crimes in Lovas: Members of the JNA and the paramilitary unit ‘Dušan the Great’ killed around 70 Croatian civilians in October 1991. Ever since the beginning of the process, Women in Black activists have been monitoring it. During this period, trials were held on the following days: April 17-23, May 13-21, and July 9-13.
Trials of the Wahhabi / members of the Ehli sunet movement: They have been charged with criminal conspiracy and terrorism. Women in Black activists have been monitoring the trials since the beginning, and during this period the following trials were held: April 7-8 and June 2-4.

To see, To Know, To Change: Video projections of documentaries and feature films on war crimes, women’s resistance to war and war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, as well as other parts of the world. As of February 2008, the series Crime and Women’s Resistance has been launched, consisting of projections of documentary and feature films. During this period, the following films were shown in Serbia, in Women in Black organizations:
Sophie Scholl: Directed by M. Rothenberg, Germany, 2005.
The movie takes place in Germany, during the period of Hitler and Nazi terror and deals with resistance to Nazism.
Music Box: Directed by Costa Gavras, Greece / USA
It is about the personal drama of a young lawyer who discovers that her father has been charged with war crimes committed in Hungary during the Second World War. His daughter agrees to defend him and when confronted with the choice between her father and justice she opts for justice.
Carnival: Produced by Mediacentar, Sarajevo, BH, author: Šeki Radončić
A documentary based on research conducted by Šeki Radončić on the crimes committed in May and June 1992 against 82 Bosnian refugees who sought refuge in Montenegro. They were deported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro and the authorities of Republika Srpska. Most of them were killed in the prison in Foča, while some are still considered to be missing and their fate is still unknown.
Rings of Smoke: Produced by Youth Initiatiative for Human Rights Belgrade.
This documentary is about Kada Hodžić, a woman who survived the Srebrenica genocide.

Film projections and discussions about confronting the past with a feminist approach were held in a number of cities where activist groups that cooperate with Women in Black exist:
Leskovac, April 12: ‘Sophie Scholl’: organized by the group ‘Women for Peace’
Vlasotince, April 20: ‘Vera Drake’: organized by SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence
Belgrade, April 16: ‘Sophie Scholl’, organized by Women in Black
Leskovac, April 20: ‘Music Box’
Vlasotince, May 25: ‘The Role of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Disintegration of the Former Yugoslavia’
Novi Sad, May 28: ‘Music Box’, organized by the NGO ‘Esperanca’
Kruševac, June 14: ‘Steel Jaw Angels’, organized by the women’s group ‘Peščanik’

A total of 153 women participated in the screenings and film discussions focusing on the topic of confronting the past /transitional justice from the feminist perspective.

Small Transitional Justice Libraries – Knowledge as civil responsibility for peace: The first phase of this project began in 2005 with the formation of libraries on transitional justice within the Women in Black Network in Serbia. It included the distribution of publications by domestic authors, translated foreign publications, and books issued by nongovernmental organizations from Belgrade and the region that deal with transitional justice issues. Since the beginning of 2008, we have concentrated on spreading the network of transitional justice libraries. In this phase, the educational program comprises of the distribution of Women in Black publications and publications of related NGOs dealing with this issue, as well as cooperating with libraries that lend their space for various activities we organize, such as: promotions, discussions, and debates, especially those related to confronting the past and transitional justice, but also related to other current issues. The aims are to spread the circle of supporters through making the above mentioned publications available to a broader circle of readers, and to give individuals working in those places the opportunity to manifest their civil courage by lending us space even in a place where that is no simple task due to the political situation.
In this period, the distribution involved libraries and women’s organizations in the following Serbian cities: Leskovac, Vranje, Vlasotince, Niš and the Peščanik library in Belgrade. The WiB networks were supplied 25 titles, i.e. 37 books, the libraries received 33 titles and 48 books respectively, and Peščanik was given 18 titles and 163 books. A total of 311 books were distributed.

Seminars, conferences, and discussions on Confronting the Past: Organized by related nongovernmental organizations, with the active participation of Women in Black:

Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo, May 26: Regional meetings with the victims, journalists and human rights organizations through the Regional Fact-Finding Board for War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia, organized by the Humanitarian Law Fund from Belgrade.
Belgrade, July 15: Meeting with the victims’ associations and victims about the mechanisms of fact-finding and revealing truths about war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, organized by the Humanitarian Law Fund.
Also, during this reporting period, Women in Black actively participated in numerous organizational meetings related to the above mentioned activities and to the punishment of crimes in general, and in joint statements and initiatives with the following related organizations: Humanitarian Law Fund, Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, etc.

Warning Signs of Fundamentalism – Feminist Responses: An educational program containing a number of segments that have been implemented since 2006.

Street actions
May 24, Belgrade: The performance ‘We won’t go back’ in front of the Constitutional Court building in Belgrade on the anniversary of the adoption of the Law on the Churches and Religious Communities (April 2006) that is in collision with the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. On that occasion, the Coalition for a Secular State submitted a proposal to the Constitutional Court that the constitutionality of this law be reconsidered. The action was organized by Women in Black with the support of the other members of the Coalition for a Secular State.

Vranje, June 23, 2008: ‘Stop Sexual Crime’ – A protest against the dropping of charges against Pahomije, a Serbian Orthodox Church bishop who abused four boys in 2002 who were being prepared for priesthood at the monastery Prohor Pčinjski (Southern Serbia). The court dropped charges against Pahomije due to a “lack of evidence” that he had committed this criminal act. The protest was directed against the theocratization of the state, particularly against the immunity of church figures provided by the new Law on the Church and Religious Communities. About thirty activists participated in this anti-clerical action organized by the Incest Trauma Center (ITC) of Belgrade with the support of Women in Black. On the same day, a press conference was held by ITC and WiB activists in the Media Center in Vranje.

Seminars, Conferences and Workshops
Jastrebac (near Kruševac, Central Serbia), May 9-11: During the seminar in Jastrebac, workshops, lectures. and film projections were held on the following topics:
- Reproductive rights and abortion – A key election issue in the USA (Lecturer: Katie Mahuron, USA, political scientist and Women in Black activist);
- Four months, three weeks, two days, directed by Christiana Mundiu (Romania)
- Reproductive rights, the nation, and national security (Workshop and lecture coordinated by Marija Perković and Staša Zajović)
- Scientific engagement against clericalization and fundamentalism: Why is secularism a requisite for democracy? (Lecturers: Dr. Lino Veljak, Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb Associate Professor; Dr. Biljana Stojković, Faculty of Biology, Belgrade; Dr. Miodrag Kapetanović, Institute for Mathematics of the Serbian Academy of Science and Art, Belgrade);
- Secularism and Women (promotion of the WiB publication with the same title)
- Coalition for a Secular State (Snežana Tabački and Persa Vučić spoke about the Coalition’s activities);
- Artistic engagement against clericalization and fundamentalism: 'Kuvarice’ – An exhibition of the deconstruction of the kitchen space and its contents, or a different reading of the cultural heritage. This engaged art project is a joint venture of the group 'Škart' and Women in Black; The screening of the documentary film “Kuvarice” (directed by Sebastian Bodrisky – Germany) about the deconstruction of patriarchal tradition and cultural heritage in Serbia using women's hand-made embroidery and using the embrodery to engage in women's human rights. 'We won’t go back' – a video installation of the group Škart was also shown.
The seminar was attended by 34 activists from the following cities: Belgrade, Leskovac, Niš, Kruševac, Velika Plana, Vlasotince, and Vrbas.

Kukavica (near Leskovac, Southern Serbia), June 13-15: A seminar with the same content as the above mentioned was held, but with an extended number of lecturers: Arnaud Castaignet, from Bordeaux University, France and Janet Rabin from Georgetown University (USA) held a lecture on the issues of secularism and reproductive rights in their respective countries.
This seminar was attended by 30 activists from Leskovac, Vlasotince, Niš, Belgrade, and Vrbas.

Belgrade, May 3, Feminist Alternatives to Militarism and Fundamentalism: Lecturer: Graciela Longoni, philosopher, Women in Black – Milano, Italy; she spoke as a part of the conference 'Everything for Peace, Health, and Knowledge – Nothing for Armament'.

Research Projects
Reproductive rights and Re-traditionalization – A research- activist project
The research was conducted during the period between March 8 and May 20, 2008 with a sample of 987 respondents, involving 55 cities and populated areas throughout Serbia:
Niš, Babušnica, Aleksinac, Svrljig, Gadžin Han, Kruševac (the city and the villages of:
Lomnica, Makrešane, Magrovo and Dedine), Leskovac (the city and the villages of: Donja Jajana, Bobište, Sinkovce, Cifluk Mira, Vinarce), Velika Plana (the city and the villages of: Krnjevo, Staro Selo and Veliko Orašje), Vlasotince (including the villages of: Jastrebac, Batulovce, Boljare, Donja Lomnica and Ladovica), Kikinda (including the villages of: Iđoš, Mokrin, Nakovo, Banatsko Veliko Selo and Sajan), Novi Sad, Petrovaradin, Sremski Karlovci, Sremska Mitrovica, Ruma, Sombor, Bačka Palanka, Kanjiža, Zrenjanin, and the towns of: Žednik, Ravanica, Debeljača, Mali Iđoš, Ruski Krstur, Bački Petrovac, Karavukovo, Divoš, Čalma and Čurug, and Belgrade and surrounding areas.
The research involved women of different generations, ethnicities and levels of education in accordance with the average rates for Serbia.
The aims of the research ‘Reproductive rights and Re-traditionalization’ were the following: obtaining an insight into the attitudes of the female population in Serbia concerning reproductive rights, and insight into the influence of the growing tendencies of clericalization and attempts to reintroduce patriarchal values in the women's views on their reproductive rights (especially those related to contraception and abortion). The results of the research were presented on May 31, 2008 in Belgrade; the principal text of the research and comments can be found on the Women in Black website in Serbian and English.
The research team consisting of eleven interviewers, Women in Black activists, was the following:
Nada Dabić from Novi Sad, Biljana Iličić and Nada Zorić from Kikinda, Jovanka Brkić from Velika Plana, Jelena Čelebić from Belgrade, Ivana Ristić from Leskovac, Lidija Pajović and Persa Vučić from Niš, Gordana Stoilković from Leskovac, Irina Ristić from Velika Plana and Svetlana Šarić from Vlasotince. The quantitative analysis was done by: Marina Nikolić (Kruševac) and Nevena Kostić, (Leskovac), Maja Pešić (Vlasotince) and Marijana Stojčević (Belgrade) in cooperation with Dr. Lidija Radulović, Associate Professor at the Ethnology and Anthropology Department of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and Dr. Lino Veljak, Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb.

Interviews on Secularism: As a part of our ongoing cooperation with the international network SIAWI (Secularism is a Women’s Issue), interviews were recorded with prominent public figures in Serbia concerning the clericalization of Serbia, its consequences on democracy, human rights and women’s human rights, and about the values of secularism: Vesna Pešić, sociologist and deputy to the National Assembly of Serbia from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Ljubiša Rajić, Professor at the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, Sonja Biserko, President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, Bilja Kovačević-Vučo, President of the Committee for Human Rights and Mirko Đorđević, sociologist of religion. The interviews were conducted by: Janet Rabin, Katie Mahuron, Arnaud Caistagnet, and Jelena Čelebić and can be found on site www.siawi.org

Film Screenings: The Abuse of Religion, Customs and Tradition…Women’s Responses
This was the continuation of video projections not only on various forms of violence against women and the various ways religion, tradition, and cultural heritage are abused, but also on women’s resistance, women’s actions and women’s solidarity.
This cycle, which started in February 2008, included the following films:

– The role of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia: Directed by Zlatko Paković and produced by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, 2006. This 52-minute documentary depicts SPC representatives and their accountability for the war as well as prominent representatives of Serbian civil society who are opponents of the SPC and SPC activities.
– Vera Drake: Directed by Mike Leigh. On the ban on abortion in the UK (until 1967) and consequences for women who performed abortions free of charge in solidarity.
– Witches in Exile: An 80-minute documentary follows women who have been accused of being witches and depicts their daily struggle for survival in the ‘Kukuo Camp for Witches” in Northern Ghana. It portrays the forms of social control endured by the women who fail to fulfill their gender roles, and break customs and traditions.

During this period, we organized projections within the Women in Black Network in the following cities:
– April 1, Novi Sad: ‘The role of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia’
– April 17, Kruševac: ‘Witches in Exile’
– April 24, Kruševac: ‘Vera Drake’
– May 14, Belgrade: ‘Witches in Exile’
– May 25, Vlasotince: ‘The role of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia’
– June 7, Leskovac: ‘Witches in Exile’
– June 25, Vlasotince: ‘Witches in Exile’
A total of 145 persons, predominantly women, participated in the above mentioned movie screenings and film discussions about the abuse of customs, religion, and tradition, the similarities between various forms of fundamentalism, the violation of women’s human rights, democracy, civil liberties, and women’s activist resistance.

Women, Peace, Security – Resolution 1325:
Street actions: Antimilitarist and antifascist actions, coupled with demands for demilitarization and the implementation of Resolution 1325.

May 24, Belgrade: performance ‘We won’t go back’ in front of the Constitutional Court building in Belgrade on the first anniversary of the adoption of the controversial Law on the Church and Religious Communities (in April 2006) that is in collision with the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. On that occasion, the Coalition for a Secular State submitted a proposal to the Constitutional Court that the constitutionality of this law be reconsidered. The action was organized by Women in Black with the support of the other members of the Coalition for a Secular State.

May 9, Kruševac: Antifascist march ‘Antifascism – my choice’ on the occasion of May 9 – Day of Victory over Fascism and Day of Europe, organized by Women in Black -- Belgrade and the women’s group ‘Peščanik’ from Kruševac. The peace march in the streets of Kruševac was joined by about one hundred Women in Black Network activists from throughout Serbia.

Over this period, a number of operational meetings and consultations were held and also international meetings concerning Resolution 1325, as a continuation of the educational program, legislative campaigns and joint activities on the regional level.

Networks, Coalitions and Alliances – Mutual support and solidarity
Women in Black has launched and actively participated in numerous regional networks, coalitions, and alliances, and has actively participated in activities with related organizations aimed at strengthening mutual support, solidarity, civil society and democracy in Serbia and throughout the region.
Out of the large number of activities that were organized during this period, we would like to highlight the following:
The Women in Black Network – Serbia: In addition to the above mentioned activities, numerous other activities were also conducted:
The Women in Black Network – Horizontal Networking: An educational program that has been continually unfolding since January 2008 with the aim of spreading the WiB Network, strengthening cooperation among the already active groups within the Network, launching joint initiatives, and acquiring additional knowledge concerning certain issues in accordance with the needs expressed by the activists. Over this period, the following activities were organized:
– Friendship among women as a policy of peace and international solidarity: Exchanges in the form of lectures and film screenings were held in: Vlasotince -- May 5, Leskovac -- April 6, Niš -- April 19, Velika Plana -- April 28 and Kruševac -- May 8.
– The seminar ‘Deconstruction of Patriarchy – Mother Courage and Her Children’: Held on July 18-20 in Jastrebac (Central Serbia). The seminar was attended by 12 activists from the WiB Network and their children. It was attended by a total of 29 participants. The seminar consisted of film projections related to gender roles, gender differences, and homophobia along with workshops on motherhood, mother-son and mother-daughter relationships.
– Operative meetings of the Women in Black Network: On May 11, May 31, and July 20 were meetings in the form of working groups. The network meeting held on July 9-10 was attended by only 20 women. In addition to these meetings, Women in Black – Belgrade also held regular operational meetings, internal workshops, discussions, and numerous meetings of working groups and operational meetings on program activities within the Women in Black Network in Belgrade.

– ‘Someone said Feminism’ – Promotion of the book published by Women in Black, Women Studies, and the Reconstruction Women’s Fund. The promotion was organized by groups in Montenegro working closely with Women in Black:
- Podgorica –June 1, in the bookshop ‘Karver’; the promotion was attended by 25 persons.
- Kotor, June 7, in the Municipality building, organized through ‘Anima’, attended by 30 persons.

Coalition for a Secular State: Launched in April 2006, at the initiative of Women in Black. Several operational meetings were held on the Women in Black premises in Belgrade concerning joint activities related to publishing and legislative matters. On the occasion of the adoption of the Law on Churches and Religious Communities (April 2006), which is in collision with the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, a team of legal experts of the Coalition for a Secular State, including Dr. Vesna State for the reconsideration of the constitutionality of this law. The proposal was submitted to the Constitutional Court. The Coalition for a Secular State presented, as one of their various activities, the dangers of fundamentalism and the values of secularism.

Women’s Peace Coalition: This Coalition, consisting of Women in Black activists from Serbia and Kosova Women’s Network activists, held operational meetings on April 4 and June 25 in Priština, the capital of Kosovo. The agenda of both meetings were future joint activities.

Participation in the election campaign: Do we want to or not? How are we to join Europe?: Organized by ‘A Voice of Difference’ from Belgrade, from the end of April until the parliamentary elections in Serbia, held on May 11, 2008.

Promotion of the compilation of research work “Politics and Everyday Lives”: The compilation was edited and promoted by Dr. Zagorka Golubović, anthropologist and long-term associate of Women in Black. Promotions of this compilation and discussions about current issues were organized by Women in Black in the following cities:
- April 5, Novi Sad: Through the support of the Independent Society of Journalists of Vojvodina;
- April 15, Kruševac: Through the support of 'Peščanik';
- April 17, Novi Pazar: Through the support of ‘Urban-In’
The promotions and discussions were attended by around sixty persons and were accompanied by local media coverage.

Sarajevo Days in Belgrade, May 30 – June 1: Festival during which exhibitions, film projections, theater performances and discussions were organized, through the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Belgrade.

Round table ‘Myself and ‘68’, on May 31 in Belgrade: Held in the Center for Cultural Decontamination and organized by Women in Black, with the participation of: Nada Ler-Sofronić, sociologist, Sarajevo; Graziella Longoni, philosopher, Milan, Italy; Zagorka Golubović, anthropologist, Belgrade; Lina Vušković, Women in Black activist, Belgrade; Nebojša Popov, sociologist, Zrenjanin/Belgrade; Božidar Jakšić, sociologist, Belgrade; and Vesna Pešić, sociologist, Belgrade. This round table discussion attracted a remarkably large audience of about a hundred persons, of which around fifty were Women in Black activists from throughout Serbia.

June 27, Niš: All-day activity with the Alternative Cultural center from Niš, part of which were two panels: ‘Feminist challenges today’, with the participation of feminist activists from Belgrade (Slavica Stojanović, Jelena Višnjić, Katarina Lončarević and Staša Zajović) and 'What did '68 mean? What does '68 mean today?' with the participation of Lina Vušković, WiB Belgrade, Janet Rabin, USA and Katie Mahuron, USA/Belgrade. Each panel was attended by at least fifty persons.

Publishing Activities
‘Feminism, pacifism and nonviolence’ Editions, Launched in 2006 with the intention to present issues in a concise and clear-cut manner that have a bearing on the theoretical and activist engagement of Women in Black and of civil society in general.
So far, the following editions in Serbian have appeared as part of this edition: ‘Women’s Peace Policy’, ‘Regional Peace Activism’, ‘From the traditional to the feminist concept of security – Resolution 1325’, ‘Secularism and Women’, ‘Neda Božinović – continuity of the struggle for peace and women’s rights’; ‘A 100 years of struggle for women’s rights’.
In this period, the following publications were published within this edition:
Globalization – Questions and Responses: A 50-page publication consisting of four chapters outlining the following themes: the concept of globalization; globalization and women: gender aspects of globalization; resistance to globalization and the feminist movement, and neo-liberal economic globalization. The author of the publication is Staša Zajović.

What Every Citizen Should Know about the Secular State – A little glossary of Secularism.

International policy: Over this period, Women in Black had many productive international activities, some of which will be mentioned here. Visits of activists of the International Women in Black Network or 'bilateral meetings' and exchanges with WiB Network activists from Serbia:
- May 12, Srebrenica (BiH): Exchange of activists of Women in Black -- Italy (Patrizia and Vera Tough, Bologna, Giannina del Bosco, Verona) with WiB activists from Belgrade (Lina, Senka, Snežana, Staša i Jovana) and members of the “The Association of Women of Srebrenica.”
- May 28 – June 3, Belgrade / Serbia: Visit of activists Graziella Longoni and Libera Mazzoleni, Women in Black, Milano. During the visit, working meetings and lectures were held, and the Italian activists took part in the Women in Black – Serbia activities.
- July 7-13, Belgrade, Serbia: Lily Traubman, a Women in Black activist from Israel, and Elena Vilenskaya, an activist from Saint Petersburg, Russia, visited. During their time in Serbia, they held lectures about the situations in their local and regional communities (the Middle East and Russia), their peace activities, and joint activities. Also, they had an exchange with the activists in Velika Plana (Central Serbia) and participated in working meetings with Women in Black Network – Serbia. They also participated in other activities related to transitional justice and women’s peace policy.

Participation at international peace conferences: Only those conferences which Women in Black activists had an active role (in which they gave presentations or talks) are highlighted here:
- Istanbul (Turkey), April 17-20: A conference / operational meeting of the Women’s Lobby for Peace, Security, and Justice in South-East Europe.
- Mostar (BiH), April 23: ‘Women, Peace and Security – Resolution 1325’ international conference organized by the women of BiH, Mostar, MZC (Mujeres en zonas de conflicto / Women in areas of crisis) and Agencia Espanola de operacion internacional;
- Belfast (Northern Ireland) May 21-23: International peace conference titled “Victim Empowerment and Contribution to Peace Building” organized by The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland;
- Odessa (Ukraine), May 23-25: Exchange of young women from the Southern Caucasus, organized by Kvinna till Kvinna.
- Ljubljana (Slovenia), June 20-22: ‘Women, Peace, Security – Resolution 1325’, organized by the Peace Institute from Ljubljana.
- Sweden June 29-July 2: WALTIK – World Congress of Writers and Translators.
- Mexico, August 3-8: International Conference on AIDS.
- Unije, island near Lošinj (Croatia) August 23-30: Classroom of active citizenship – Educational seminar for secondary school students from Serbia and Croatia organized by the Center for Healthy Development from Mali Lošinj, Women in Black, Belgrade and the European House from Vukovar.

Visits of international activists, volunteers and researchers: During this period, Women in Black held operational meetings, exchanges, and consultations with a large number of activists from France, Spain, Sweden, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, and USA. During the period of May-August, Arnaud Castaignet (France) and Janet Rabin (USA) had internships at Women in Black.
Throughout this reporting period, numerous international media (both electronic and print media) interviewed Women in Black activists.

Prepared by: Staša Zajović