Women in Black

The “Žene u crnom” / “Women in Black” group was established in Serbia during the war in Croatia. On October 9, 1991 the group organized its first public gathering in the Belgrade city centre, protesting against war, nationalism and the militaristic regime ruling Serbia. It was a silent demonstration in which participants wore black to represent their grief for the war’s victims. From that day on, the group organized silent protests every Wednesday on Republic Square in Belgrade. These weekly gatherings continued until the end of December 1995.

In that time span, “Women in Black” also developed numerous other activities to express solidarity with women and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and protest against Serbia’s role in the war, despite intimidation and attacks from the regime and nationalist groups. Additionally, the group played a central role in developing a women’s solidarity network with groups from other countries, with regular conferences organized in Serbia from 1992 onward.

The group cooperated closely with other civic opposition groups in Serbia such as the Center for Anti-War Action, the Belgrade Circle, and the Center for Cultural Decontamination. After the war, the group’s attention remained on BiH, and it still organizes a public gathering to commemorate the siege of Sarajevo each April in Belgrade, and participates in the annual Srebrenica genocide commemorations in Potočari.