The note about the silent vigil in commemoration of crimes committed in Dubrovnik

Peace groups Women in Black from Belgrade, Serbia and Anima from Kotor, Montenegro organised, on December 6th 2011, parallel silent vigils, in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the siege and the crimes committed in Dubrovnik.

Women in Black, at the Republic Square in Belgrade, and the Anima, in the Square of arms in Kotor, held banners: Dubrovnik (1991-2011), we remember the killing of town and people, and Dubrovnik is the world, as well as a banner with the poem of a poet Milan Milisic "In the gates of the city" with a picture of a photographer Pavo Urban, both victims of the siege, in the background.

Two peace groups marked at the same time the twentieth anniversary of peace activism, and wanted to remind the public about joint responsibility of both Serbia and Montenegro and to remind everyone about the command responsibility for the crime of aggression and the shelling of the town, that still have not been punished.

Vukovar– November 18th and 19th, 2011.

Women in Black from Belgrade and Art Klinika from Novi Sad organised, on November 18, a street peace action "We will never forget crimes committed in Vukovar", at Republic Square in Belgrade.

During the protest, we held three banners: "We will never forget crimes in Vukovar", "Responsibility" and "Solidarity", and the banner with the picture of destroyed town and the data about the destruction of Vukovar.

We wrote the word "Vukovar" with the salt, and then lit the candles over the letters. The word "Vukovar" was lit and was seen in the dark.

The next day, on November 19, approximately 30 Women in Black Network Serbia activists, from Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Vlasotince, and Leskovac went to the commemoration in Vukovar, along with the activists of Youth Initiative for Human Rights and of Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia.

Women in Black laid a wreath with the message "We will never forget the crimes in Vukovar" next to the "wall of tears", at the remains of former Borovo Commerce building, and then another wreath at the memorial at Ovcara. The activists threw the red roses from the Danube bank at the river and laid them at the memorial in Dalj.

Note about the action on the November 9th, International Day of Remembrance of the victims of fascism and anti-Semitism

“Women in Black” from Belgrade and “Art Klinika” from Novi Sad honoured on the November 9th The International Day of Remembrance of the victims of fascism and anti-Semitism, by laying flowers at the memorial to murdered anti-fascists in the Second World War and by artistic-activist action "Walking over the threshold".

The commemoration of the victims of fascism in World War II was followed by laying flowers at the monument, and banners “Antifascism is our choice" and "Responsibility", as a warning that fascism, unfortunately, was not stopped in the Second World War. At the same time, the activists were carrying rainbow-colour banner with women’s peace sign, which offers a different vision of the world.

The commemoration of this important antifascist date was continued in the Srebrenicka Street, with the action "Walking over the threshold", in which each activist walked across the threshold, bearing a paper with the number of those killed in the genocide in Srebrenica. Each person received a "certificate" for symbolic passing, through dealing with the criminal past.

The action was attended by more than 100 activists, Women in Black Network Serbia activists from Leskovac and civil society activists from Belgrade.

Women in Black
November 18th, 2011, Belgrade

20 years of Women in Black

I will/I won’t or A brief travelogue on the synchronisation of developments

Meeting – discussion about Women in Black’s twentieth anniversary

Always disobedient - We leave a trace 20 years of Women in Black

Women in Black have been working together with artists and art collectives artistic groups on shaping resistance. As opposed to the indifference of the majority of artists, who followed the official position that 'Serbia isn't at war' and who did not react to the reality of war, and who now do not react to the reality of denial of crimes...

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Peace action “We will never forget!” took place on July 10th, 2011. at the Republic Square in Belgrade, at 7.30 pm. Activists of Women in Black Network Serbia attended the funeral and the commemoration for the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, at the Memorial Center in Potocari, on July 11th 2011, where they passed the funeral wreath with the message: “We will never forget the genocide in Srebrenica – Women in Black, Serbia”

Statement on the 16th anniversary of the Genocide in Srebrenica

"Time passes, we age, and we cannot wait for the criminal to determine the time of his judgment"
Note from the trial of Ratko Mladic

Women in Black accompanied women from Srebrenica, following their call and out of the feeling of moral duty, during the second appearance of Ratko Mladic before the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in Hague.

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On the occasion of May 9th – Victory Day over Fascism and the Day of Concentration Camp Detainees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the public of the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina we address the

DECLARATION OF ANTI-FASCIST STRUGGLE’S CONTINUATION

By means of this Declaration we indicate the contemporary politics of the Republic of Serbia which negates war crimes and concentration camps’ existence during the Nineties. This politics annuls the main World War Two heritage – all nations’ equality in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

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You can also access at this address and sign it:
http://www.petitiononline.com/9maj/petition.html

The celebration of March 8th, 2011. – For Women’s Labor Rights

• 11.30-11.45 Arrival of the participants

• 12. 00- 12. 15 Street Performance, Republic Square, Belgrade

• 12.15-12.45 Women’s street march "For Women’s Labor Rights" – starting at Republic Square, Belgrade, and ending at the Center for Cultural Decontamination, with a stop at the square next to Beogradjanka building, where the performance will be repeated

Topics that we will acknowledge on this March 8th will be women’s labor rights and solidarity. These themes are elaborated on the examples of workers in the textile industry. From historical and phenomenological perspective, the largest women's labor collectives were textile factories, where both the emancipation of women (through the exercise of rights), and also numerous revolts and worker’s revolutions took place. In this way, the textile industry represents the highlights of the labor rights of women around the world today, who are, to a lesser or greater extent, all in a similar position: full-time jobs, low wages, and job uncertainty...

• 12. 45- 13.15 Arrival at the Center for Cultural Decontamination

• 13.15- 13.30 Center for Cultural Decontamination – opening of the exhibition, by Jovana Dimitrijević, in solidarity with textile workers in Serbia.

Exhibition is inspired by the theses made by Virginia Woolf that the women should tear apart their old dresses and then saw them back together in a completely different way. This is related to the traditional women’s roles imposed upon them, and to their position in the society. Woolf explains that, by doing that, women can deconstruct the ideas imposed upon them, which do not make them feel good.

Opening of the exhibition will be accompanied by the screening of films from the previous street actions related to March 8th, the important moments in the history of women's resistance in Serbia, and throughout the world - "Always rebellious - the continuity of women's resistance."

Within the framework of feminist internationalism and solidarity, the films are dedicated to all women from Egypt, Iran, Yemen and the Maghreb countries.

• 13.30- 13. 45 - Choir performances – choral groups “Proba” and “LeWhore” – “For Women’s Labor Rights”

• 13.45-14.00 - Activist performance – The members of Women in Black’s Network from Vlasotince

• 14.00 - Socializing

"Public presentation of Women in Black activities due to tenth anniversary of the 1325 Resolution"

Seminar "threatening signs of fundamentalism – feminist and democratic answers"
Lecture, Jastrebac

Roma Solidarity Movement

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Women in Black activities and important documents
related to the implementation of the Resolution 1325

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We are addressing the public with a great concern over the racist violence against the Roma population.

Because of the recent crime, when a Roma boy killed his peer, a Serbian boy, Serbian inhabitants of the village Jabuka are smashing the windows of the houses owned by Roma families, the windows of the Methodist church; also, one house is set on fire. All that violence happened in presence of local police officers, who did nothing to prevent violence. Belated response of the Prefect of the Pancevo Police Department and the mayor of Pancevo just enhanced the fear of Roma families, whose members did not dare to go out from their houses in days.

Racist violence against Roma is common. Latest Amnesty International report also notices violation of human rights of Roma in Serbia. Serbian institutions in charge have to show political will in order to prevent political violence against Roma population. International responsibility of members of Serbian institutions is to respect human rights of minorities and to protect security for all the citizens, regardless of their names or their ethnic, racial, religious or sexual orientation or identity.

We call civil society organizations to join us, to react and to put pressure on the government in similar cases, when human rights are violated, because that is our activist responsibility. Also, we are asking the member of the institutions in charge, first of all the Ministry of internal affairs and judicial authorities, to penalize the perpetrators of the attacks.

Women in Black, along with Roma women’s groups, will visit the Roma population in Jabuka tomorrow, on the 17^th of July, at 10:30 am, in order to show our solidarity and offer our support.

Women in Black

Joined organizations:

Women for peace, Leskovac

SOS Hotline for Women and Children, Victims of Violence, Vlasotince

Reconstruction, Women’s Fund, Belgrade

Voice of the Difference, Belgrade

Labris, Belgrade

Esperanca, Novi Pazar

Regional Minority Center, Belgrade

Roma Association “Danica”, Pancevo

Center for cultural affirmation, Dimitrovgrad

Center for Peace and the Development of the Democracy, Belgrade

Roma Association, Novi Becej

Belgrade, Jun 16^th, 2010.

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IN MEMORIAM - Biljana Kovačević-Vučo (1952-2010)

Biljana Kovačević-Vučo, president of Lawyer’s Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM, passed away in Belgrade on April 20^th, 2010.

Kovačević-Vučo was well-known human rights defender and one of the founders of the Yugoslav Action NGO and the independent union Nezavisnost in March 1999.

She was also a member of the Working Group for the Future of former Yugoslavia (established at a conference in Bratislava in July 1999. which was organized by EastWest Institute from New York).

During her long career as a peace movement and human rights activist, Kovačević-Vučo was the founder of the Human Rights Council of Center for Antiwar Action in Belgrade and head of the SOS helpline for the victims of political, ethnic and workplace discrimination.

She also founded and was secretary general of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Office for Legal Help in Belgrade from 1994 until 1997, president of the Democracy Transition Center executive board in 1997, and founder and president of YUCOM since 1997.

During her career as a lawyer she worked at the Commercial Court in Belgrade from 1978 until 1988 and as a senior associate at the Serbian Supreme Court’s criminal and civil departments from 1988 until 1996.

Kovačević-Vučo represented journalist Željko Bodrožić in the only case which Serbia lost before the UN Human Rights Council. Kovačević-Vučo was a member of the YUCOM expert and lawyers team which won two cases before European Court of Human Rights.

Origin: Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights website.

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International Bureau for Laïcite*

Considering that:
- The so-called theory of 'clash of civilisations' between a 'Christian West' on the one hand, and a 'Muslim Orient' on the other, is gaining ground, in total disregard of all people the world over, who have been fighting in favour of a political model founded on principles of secularism,
- In the name of defending the 'right to difference', numerous states are legitimizing differences of rights between citizens depending on their faith, thereby fueling communalisms,
- With the help of religions, governments try to draw people into warlike confrontations
- In addition to fighting against existing disparities between men and women, women have to unceasingly defend their hard won rights, notably equality in the realm of social and professional rights and bodily rights,
- That, in many countries, the rise of different fundamentalisms has come to increase the subordination of women
- Despite a movement towards secularisation and the decline of religions, globalisation of neoliberal policies (favoured by the Washington consensus) that emerged in the 80's, stimulated the march towards privatisation and commoditisation of all human activities, and exacerbated inward looking communalism (the disengagement of the state necessitated the recourse to traditional forms of solidarity, substituing national solidarity with the principle of charity),
- The alliance that a communalized Left does not hesitate to make with religious organisations, in the name of fighting 'western imperialism', is damaging, as is the neoliberal disinvestment by the State from the social sphere that has allowed religious organisations to occupy that space
-The current economic crisis has accentuated inequalities and poverty,
- However, there has been a convergence of secularist, feminist and social struggles, everywhere in the world;

The organisations and persons listed below have come together to set up the International Bureau for Laïcite, based on the present resolution, in order to promote secularism internationally.

1. We affirm our commitment to secularism. The principle of secularism, notably the strict separation of State and religion, guarantees the non interference of religion in the sphere of state authority; as well as a real independance of religious and faith based organisations of civil society vis-a-vis the state. Secularism guarantees to citizens the absolute freedom of conscience: the right to believe, the right to disbelieve, the right to change faith, as well as the right to freedom of expression. Consequently, the right to criticize religions is not to be put into question and it takes precedence above all moves to institute ' defamation of religions and their prophets' as a crime.

2. We affirm our commitment to the principle of equality and the universality of rights. We believe in a republican conception of citizenship, and we reject all systems which, in the name of particularisms, segment the body politic, either by privileging one category of citizens or by excluding it. Therefore we intend to fight against all forms of discriminations, notably those faced by women and the minorities.

3. We refuse the globalized predatory and destructive neoliberal policies which accentuate pauperisation, whose first victims are women and children; state disengagement fosters the retreat of national solidarity in favour of traditional solidarities of 'communal' type. In wake of neoliberalism, we call for the internationalisation of struggles.

On the 9th of December 2009**, we call on organisations and individuals who identify with the principles of this statement to support and sign it, and join us.

To sign up: laicity.info/bli

*After consultation, we finally resolve to use the French concept/word in our name. The reason for it is that the word 'secularism' in English conveys the notion of equal tolerance of the state vis a vis all religions, rather than the notion of separation between ' Churches'/religions and the state as well as the total disinvestment of the state regarding religions, which is enbeded into the French concept of laicite. Rare scholars have been starting to use the neologism ' laicity', but we feel that it is not known to activists.
** On the 9th of Dcecember 1905, France voted the Law of Separation of Churches and State

The founders of the BLI:
Coalition for a Secular State, Serbia
Collectif citoyen pour l'égalité et la laïcité (CCIEL), Montréal
Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
Development Alternatives with Women for A New Era (DAWN), international network
Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran
Iran Solidarity
Iranian Secular Society
MAREA, feminist journal, Genova, Italy
Parti pour la Laïcité et la Démocratie (ex MDSL), Algérie
Protagoras, Croatia
One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain
Organization for Women’s Liberation (OWL), Iran
Secularism Is A Women's Issue (SIAWI), international network
Union des Familles Laïques (UFAL), France
Women's Initiative for Citizenship and Universal Rights (WICUR) international network
Women in Black - Belgrade (WIB), Serbia
Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), international network

Zarizana Abul Aziz, lawyer, human rights activist, Malaysia
Samia Allalou, journaliste, Algérie/France
Hakim Arabdiou, militant laïque, France
Soheib Bencheikh, théologien, spécialiste des religions et de la laicité, ancien mufti de Marseille, France
Djemila Benhabib, auteure de Ma vie à conre-Coran, récipiendaire du Prix des écrivains francophones d'Amérique et finaliste pour le prix du gouverneur général 2009
Codou Bop, journaliste, Dakar, Sénégal
Caroline Brancher, co-responsable du secteur féminisme et laïcité de l'UFAL, Paris
Ariane Brunet, co-fondatrice de Urgent Action Fund , Montréal
Sonia Correa, co-coordinator of Sexuality Policy Watch and Research Associate at ABIA (Brazilian Interdisciplinary Association for AIDS (Brazil)), Rio De Janeiro.
Yvonne Deutsch, feminist peace activist, Jerusalem
Lalia Ducos, présidente de WICUR, Paris-Alger
Gigi Franscisco, coordinator of the DAWN international network, Manila, The Philippines
Pierre Galand, président du Centre d'action laïque (CAL), Belgique
Nadia Geerts, initiatrice du R.A.P.P.E.L. (www.le-rappel.be/FR), Belgique
Laura Guidetti, President and co-founder of MAREA, Genova, Italy
Marieme Helie Lucas, Fondatrice du WLUML et coordinatrice de SIAWI, Algérie/France
Hameeda Hossein, co-chair of South Asians for Human Rights and Chairperson of Ain o Salish Kendra, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Ayesha Imam, Sociologist, human rights activists, Nigeria
Harsh Kapoor, founder of South Asia Citizens Web (sacw.net), France/Inde
Sultana Kamal, lawyer and human rights activist, Executive Director of Ain O'Salish Kendra, Dhakha, Bangladesh, former Advisor to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh
Cherifa Kheddar, présidente de l'association " Djazairouna" des Familles Victimes du Terrorisme Islamiste, Algérie
Catherine Kintzler, philosophe de la laïcité, Paris, France
Monica Lanfranco, journalist, co-founder of MAREA, Genova, Italy
Azar Majedi, Présidente de l’OWL, Iran/U.K
Maryam Namazie, Campaigner, Iran/U.K
Fariborz Pooya, Iranian Secular Society, Iran/U.K
Venita Popovic, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mary Jane Real, lawyer and human rights activist, Manilla, The Philippines
Nina Sankari, Présidente de l’Initiative Féministe Européenne (IFE), Pologne
Aisha Shaheed, historian and women’s rights activist,Canada/Pakistan/UK
Mohamed Sifaoui, journaliste, Algérie/France
Fatou Sow, sociologue au CNRS, Dakar, Sénégal
Gila Svirsky, Women In Black, Jerusalem
Lino Veljak, Professor of philosophy, University of Zagreb, founder of PROTAGORAS, Croatia
Vivienne Wee, anthropologist and women’s rights advocate, Singapore and Hong Kong, China
Stasa Zajovic, founder of WIB-Belgrade, coordinator of the Coalition for a Secular State, Serbia

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Stop racist violence against Roma