As we have done in the past, we are providing you with a short report on the activities of Women in Black in the reporting period.
We would like to thank you in advance, in solidarity.
Street actions: In the reporting period, we have organized:
- Commemorations/the marking of important anniversaries of the crimes committed in our name
- Feminist, antifascist, peace/antiwar, antiracist, antimilitaristic actions...
This is a chronological record of abovementioned actions:
September 12, Belgrade: “We are all Pussy Riot – freedom for Pussy Riot”: feminist – anticlerical performance, in front of the embassy of the Russian Federation in Belgrade; a demand to set free three members of the feminist-anarchist group “Pussy Riot”. The three of them performed a punk prayer “Holly Mother, put Putin away” in one church in Moscow, in February 2012. That artistic act of nonviolent resistance to Putin’s regime and to the fundamentalism of Russian Orthodox Church was the reason why Pussy Riot members were sentenced to two years in jail, in August 2012. Approximately 40 activists took part in this action, organized by Women in Black and Act Women.
September 21st, Belgrade: Stop cluster munitions - the action was organized on the World’s Peace Day – that was the continuance of the campaign WiB began in June 2012, in order to put pressure on the institutions of Serbia to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). In cooperation with organizations from the Network of Women in Black from 11 towns in Serbia, we have organized the petition signings, for the adoption of the CCM, in order to ban the production and use of cluster munitions in Serbia. On September 21st, we have organised petition signing in the squares of Leskovac, Krusevac, Dimitrovgrad, and Belgrade, as well as during the feminist festival “Feminis” in Nis, during which we have collected more than 900 signatures. The signing of the CCM is very important because the victims of cluster bombs in Serbia are not eligible for international aid, because Serbia has not signed the Convention.
October 5th, Belgrade – the commemoration of the murder of soldiers - in front of the Army barracks in Topcider, Belgrade, dozen Women in Black activists, along with the families of killed soldiers Dragan Jakovljevic and Drazen Milovanovic, commemorated the anniversary of this crime. Two guards were killed on October 5th 2004, in these barracks, under mysterious circumstances. There are reasons to suspect that they were killed because they saw former Hague fugitive Ratko Mladic in the barracks. WiB and the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Studies /CEAS issued a statement on the eighth anniversary of the murder, expressing solidarity with the parents and families of murdered soldiers, and support to their quest for the truth about the death of two young men.
October 10th, Belgrade: "World Day against the Death Penalty" - This day was for the first time marked in Serbia. The protest was organised by four organisations from Belgrade (Serbia against the death penalty, the Centre for Cultural Decontamination (CZKD), Women in Black and Act Women), in cooperation with the Ombudsman/protector of citizens office. Young women from the Acting Studio of Sandra Rodic-Jankovic played a scene from Sophocles' "Antigone" in the yard of CZKD. It was followed by the facts about the history of capital punishment in Serbia, which was abolished in February 26th 2002, presented by journalist Milos Vasic. ACT Women then staged theatrical performance "Off with the head!", against the death penalty. Women in Black and above mentioned organizations reaffirmed with this action ongoing support for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.
October 25th, Belgrade: Stop cluster munitions – the continuance of the action (petition signing) in Belgrade and other cities in Serbia (13) - Krusevac, Dimitrovgrad, New Bečej, Pancevo, Leskovac, Pancevo, Novi Sad, Sombor, Pirot, Kragujevac, Vlasotince, Nis, and Kraljevo, organised by WiB Network Serbia members. The petition is handed to the representatives of the institutions in charge, on October 31st, on the anniversary of the day when UN SC R1325 is adopted.
October 30th, Belgrade: Support to LGBT organizations in Macedonia - LGBT activists from Serbia, including Women in Black activists, protested in front of the Embassy of Macedonia in Belgrade, holding banners in Serbian, English, Macedonian and Albanian. According to the research by the International Lesbian and Gay Association, Macedonia is a country with the highest degree of homophobia in Europe. Organizers sent out a letter to Ambassador of Macedonia in Belgrade Ljubisa Georgievski, where they condemned the members of the Macedonian government, clergy and the media for amplifying hostility towards the LGBT community in Macedonia.
9th November, Belgrade: "I confess" - The action against the denial of the criminal past by the authorities of Serbia, on the occasion of the International Day of Action Against Fascism and anti-Semitism. The campaign was jointly organized by the WiB and the Art Clinic from Novi Sad. Peace/anti-fascist/anticlerical actions took place in several locations: a protest in front of the Presidency of Serbia, because of the denial of a criminal past by the current President of Serbia, especially the denial of genocide in Srebrenica; at Terazije was laid flowers at the monument to anti-fascists who were shot and then left hanging in Belgrade's main street in 1941 - this act expressed the protest against historical revisionism - equalization of fascism and anti-fascism; peace march through central city streets, when activists handled out the leaflets “I confess...” to the people in the streets. The protesters carried the banners: "I'm ashamed that the President of the Republic is Chetnik Comandant/Vojvoda", "Vukovar is not a Serbian city", "There was a genocide in Srebrenica", "Fascism kills by word and in reality, here and now", "I demand a monument in Belgrade to the victims of genocide", "I admit that Draza Mihailovic is a war criminal”, “I admit that the war profiteers are political and economic class in today’s’ Serbia", etc. In front of the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, we put out the slogans "I'm an atheist", "I admit that I'm ashamed of the fact that Serbia is ecclesiastical state." In Srebrenica Street we set up the poster of a black background on which is inscribed: "8372 - The number of victims of the genocide in Srebrenica", on the fence of the ruins of the National Library, destroyed in the bombing of April 6th1941. Sixty (60) activists took part in this action.
November 25th, Belgrade: “We remember them” – massive performance, part of the campaign "16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women", organized by six feminist organizations (Network of Women Against Violence, the Autonomous Women's Center, Reconstruction - Women's Fund, Women in Black, Skart + Rehearsal and ACT Women. On November 25th, at Belgrade's Republic Square, the activists introduced a memorial to all women-victims of violence. It says: "Do you see the violence?” Several hundred women from Serbia participated in mass performance "Not one woman less, no more dead women."
November 30th, Belgrade: "Cities against the Death Penalty" – international action against the death penalty. In fact, for 10 years to this day in hundreds of cities around the world, activists shed light on some of their symbolic monument, to show that they are for life and against the death penalty. Artistic-activist campaign is organized by the following organizations: Serbia against the death penalty, Women in Black and the Center for Cultural Decontamination. It took place along the city streets and ended with a walk to the house where the philosopher and antifascist Ksenija Atanasijević lived, where WiB activists mounted a plaque to remember her, during the street march on March 8th 2012. Snezana Tabacki, WIB activist, spoke about that commemorative action.
December 10th, Belgrade: "Turn off the dark" – a protest march and exhibition on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day. Seven Peace and Human Rights Organization (Athens, Center for Youth Integration, Labris-group for lesbian women's human rights, and The Regional Centre for Minorities, Association of Students with Disabilities, the Association “Space” and Women in Black) organized the march. The participants sent the appeal to state institutions, with requests: to ban fascist organizations that carry out reprisals against all different individuals/groups, to prosecute all cases of violence against LGBT community, to introduce "hate crime" in the existing Criminal Code of Serbia, etc. A part of this action was the exhibition, organised at the Youth Center, which presented the work of activist and the beneficiaries of abovementioned organizations. Approximately hundred activists participated in the march.
Facing the past/ Transitional justice – feminist approach
This is one of the most important activities of Women in Black. It consists of many segments: street events, workshops, lectures, creating different models of transitional justice from a feminist perspective, cooperation with similar organizations through joint activities, (campaigns, and consultative meetings)...
Click for more information.
Report on our activities in pdf format.
