How an interview with a rapist fired up Serbia's feminists (trigger warning: graphic)

How an interview with a rapist fired up Serbia’s feminists (trigger warning: graphic)

A controversial article sparked street demonstrations in Belgrade, which mobilised a women’s movement to fight for bigger change.


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Demonstrators march and chant for the eradication of male violence against women in Belgrade, Serbia [Courtesy of Irena Ljubenović]
By Dariusz Kalan
Published On 31 Mar 202331 Mar 2023

Belgrade, Serbia – Even though six months have passed, Branka Blizanac still remembers the moment she learned that a tabloid in Belgrade had interviewed a serial rapist who had recently been freed from prison.“The moment I saw the announcement for this interview, I felt humiliated,” the 22-year-old recalls, sitting in a coffee shop in the centre of the Serbian capital, her large glasses covering part of her face beneath a fringe and curly brown hair. “I remember thinking: How should we, as women, live in a society where rapists tell us freely, through the media, how to behave while they rape us?”In the interview published in September by the pro-government Informer newspaper, Igor Milošević, who had served a 15-year sentence for numerous rapes and physical assaults on women, not only instructed women on how to behave during an attack but also described how liberating it was for him to commit his crimes. “While I was raping and robbing, I felt freedom,” he said. He also threatened the female journalist who interviewed him, telling her, “If I decide to rape you, I will.”

Blizanac, a history student and co-founder of Ženska solidarnost (Women’s Solidarity), a Belgrade-based women’s collective, believes that in many ways, the tabloid made Milošević a celebrity. His movements were regularly reported on by Informer journalists, who advised women and girls to buy self-defence tools and avoid walking alone at night.Displeased with the tabloid and determined that the voices of women should be heard, Blizanac and other members of her collective urged women to protest. Since September, five street demonstrations have taken place in Belgrade. The demonstrations exceeded Blizanac’s expectations. Hundreds of demonstrators whistled, held placards and chanted slogans like, “All to the streets! Justice for women and girls” and “The women’s revolution!” It was the first time Ženska solidarnost had organised events of such significance, and Blizanac says she felt both stressed and thrilled.



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Branka Blizanac, left, and Jelena Riznić are founders of Ženska solidarnost, a collective demonstrating for women’s rights in Serbia [Dariusz Kalan/Al Jazeera]

The collective began in 2018 as a Facebook group where women shared stories about domestic violence. The demonstrations helped it evolve into a protest movement.

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At first glance, Serbia has made steps towards gender equality. Since 2017, the country has had a female prime minister, Ana Brnabić, while the number of female lawmakers in parliament in the past decade has regularly been about 35 percent and is now the second highest (PDF) in the region behind only North Macedonia. But critics say political representation hasn’t translated into real equality for Serbian women. “Women in power have done little for other women,” says Biljana Stojković, one of three co-leaders of the leftist Together political party and its presidential candidate in the 2022 election. “And even though they [female lawmakers] could have been more active, they themselves decide to limit their role and fulfil the expectations of their own political circle. This is especially sad with Brnabić.”
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Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić is the first woman and first openly gay person to hold the position [Kiyoshi Ota/ pool/AFP]



Since taking office in 2017, Vučić has eliminated nearly all domestic checks on his power, filled key posts with loyalists and helped them to assert control over many state assets. According to a 2022 report (PDF) by the Woman to Woman (Kvinna till Kvinna) Foundation, a Stockholm-based women’s rights organisation focusing on the Balkans, this democratic backsliding has contributed to a worsening environment for female activists and independent journalists, some of whom have faced physical attacks and threats. The report also points out that women are significantly less represented on the regional level: In 2021, 13 percent of local governments had female mayors or presidents. “One can’t really say that women are a driving force in Serbia,” says Stojković, Vučić’s contender in the last election – she won 3.3 percent of the votes. She points out that Vučić himself remains the main decision-maker. “In essence, nothing has changed,” she says.

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Women protesters in Belgrade hold the names of Serbian femicide victims from 2022 and 2023 [Courtesy of Irena Ljubenović]

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Activists stand in front of the National Assembly of Serbia holding placards with the names of responsible institutions – the courts, police and social work services – smeared with red paint to symbolise that they have blood on their hands [Courtesy of Ženska solidarnost]


“Women in Serbia are really p***** off, and we need these kinds of rebels to voice the problems.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/3/31/how-an-interview-with-a-rapist-fired-up-serbias-feminists