04-18-2019, 07:52 AM
Yugoslav-Serb "Dragon Lady", First Lady of Yugoslavia as wife of Slobodan Milosevic:
Mirjana "Mira" Marković (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирјана "Мира" Марковић, pronounced [mǐrjana mǐːra mǎːrkɔʋit͡ɕ]; 10 July 1942 – 14 April 2019) was a Serbian politician, academic and the wife of the Yugoslav and Serbian president Slobodan Milošević (1941-2006).[2] Among her opponents, she was known as The Red Witch) and the Lady Macbeth of Belgrade. She was the leader of the now defunct Yugoslav United Left (JUL) political party which governed in coalition with her husband's Socialist Party of Serbia after the Bosnian War ended in 1995.[2] Marković lived under political asylum in Russia from February 2003 until her death on 14 April 2019.[3] In June 2018, she was convicted of fraud by a court in Belgrade, and sentenced in absentia to a year's imprisonment,[4] but the verdict was overturned on appeal in March 2019.[5]
Marković was the daughter of Moma Marković and Vera Miletić, who were both fighting for the Yugoslav Partisans at the time of her birth. Her aunt was Davorjanka Paunović, private secretary and alleged mistress of Josip Broz Tito. Her mother Vera was captured by German troops and allegedly released sensitive information, under torture.[6] She was then executed in the Banjica concentration camp by the Nazis.
Marković met Slobodan Milošević when they were in high school together. They married in 1965.[1] The couple had two children, son Marko and daughter Marija, who founded TV Košava in 1998 and was its owner until 5 October 2000.
Marković held a Ph.D. in Sociology and taught the subject at the University of Belgrade. Later, she became an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. She wrote a political column in the weekly Duga during her husband's years in power.
She was considered to be the only person her husband trusted, her influence being considered a source for the increase in Milošević strong anti-western rhetoric and actions. Also, as the leader of her own political party, Yugoslav United Left she held some political influence.[7] Marković was largely responsible for erecting the Eternal Flame monument, shortly before the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in 2000.[8] She was believed to have been involved in the murders of the journalist Slavko Ćuruvija in 1999 and the Serbian politician Ivan Stambolić, Milošević's former mentor, in 2000.[1]
Marković was the author of numerous books, which were translated and sold in Canada, Russia, China and India.[9]
Pursued by legal authorities, Marković settled in Russia in 2003.[1] The authorities of Serbia issued an arrest warrant for her on fraud charges which was circulated via Interpol, but the Russian authorities refused to arrest her.
In March 2012 a collection of her columns for Pravda from 2007 to 2008, as well as for online portal Sloboda from 2010 to 2011, titled Destierrada e imperdida was published in Belgrade by Treći milenijum, a publishing house owned by Hadži Dragan Antić.[10][11]
After the 2012 elections, a government minister, Milutin Mrkonjić of the Socialist Party (which he co-founded with Milošević) said that Marković and her son were welcome to return.[12] In June 2018, Marković was found guilty in absentia of real estate fraud charges, and sentenced to a year in prison.[4] The Serbian Appeals Court in March 2019 rejected her conviction, finding it unsound, and ordered a new trial.[5]
Marković underwent several operations, and died in a spa hospital in Sochi on 14 April 2019.[3]
Marković's political views tended to be hard-line Communist. Although she often claimed that she agreed with her husband on everything, Milošević seems to have had fewer authoritarian tendencies than Marković.[13] She claimed also to be a feminist.[14]
Marković reportedly had little respect for the Bosnian Serb leaders. Vojislav Šešelj appeared before a court on 18 June 1994 to face charges of breaking microphone cables in Parliament. He read a statement, saying, "Mr. Judge, all I can say in my defense is that Milošević is Serbia's biggest criminal." Marković replied by calling Šešelj a "primitive Turk who is afraid to fight like a man, and instead sits around insulting other people's wives."[15] Radovan Karadžić was apparently unable to telephone Milošević because Marković would not tolerate his calls.
Commenting on her husband's arrest to face war crimes charges, Marković stated:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirjana_Markovi%C4%87
Mirjana "Mira" Marković (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирјана "Мира" Марковић, pronounced [mǐrjana mǐːra mǎːrkɔʋit͡ɕ]; 10 July 1942 – 14 April 2019) was a Serbian politician, academic and the wife of the Yugoslav and Serbian president Slobodan Milošević (1941-2006).[2] Among her opponents, she was known as The Red Witch) and the Lady Macbeth of Belgrade. She was the leader of the now defunct Yugoslav United Left (JUL) political party which governed in coalition with her husband's Socialist Party of Serbia after the Bosnian War ended in 1995.[2] Marković lived under political asylum in Russia from February 2003 until her death on 14 April 2019.[3] In June 2018, she was convicted of fraud by a court in Belgrade, and sentenced in absentia to a year's imprisonment,[4] but the verdict was overturned on appeal in March 2019.[5]
Marković was the daughter of Moma Marković and Vera Miletić, who were both fighting for the Yugoslav Partisans at the time of her birth. Her aunt was Davorjanka Paunović, private secretary and alleged mistress of Josip Broz Tito. Her mother Vera was captured by German troops and allegedly released sensitive information, under torture.[6] She was then executed in the Banjica concentration camp by the Nazis.
Marković met Slobodan Milošević when they were in high school together. They married in 1965.[1] The couple had two children, son Marko and daughter Marija, who founded TV Košava in 1998 and was its owner until 5 October 2000.
Marković held a Ph.D. in Sociology and taught the subject at the University of Belgrade. Later, she became an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. She wrote a political column in the weekly Duga during her husband's years in power.
She was considered to be the only person her husband trusted, her influence being considered a source for the increase in Milošević strong anti-western rhetoric and actions. Also, as the leader of her own political party, Yugoslav United Left she held some political influence.[7] Marković was largely responsible for erecting the Eternal Flame monument, shortly before the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in 2000.[8] She was believed to have been involved in the murders of the journalist Slavko Ćuruvija in 1999 and the Serbian politician Ivan Stambolić, Milošević's former mentor, in 2000.[1]
Marković was the author of numerous books, which were translated and sold in Canada, Russia, China and India.[9]
Pursued by legal authorities, Marković settled in Russia in 2003.[1] The authorities of Serbia issued an arrest warrant for her on fraud charges which was circulated via Interpol, but the Russian authorities refused to arrest her.
In March 2012 a collection of her columns for Pravda from 2007 to 2008, as well as for online portal Sloboda from 2010 to 2011, titled Destierrada e imperdida was published in Belgrade by Treći milenijum, a publishing house owned by Hadži Dragan Antić.[10][11]
After the 2012 elections, a government minister, Milutin Mrkonjić of the Socialist Party (which he co-founded with Milošević) said that Marković and her son were welcome to return.[12] In June 2018, Marković was found guilty in absentia of real estate fraud charges, and sentenced to a year in prison.[4] The Serbian Appeals Court in March 2019 rejected her conviction, finding it unsound, and ordered a new trial.[5]
Marković underwent several operations, and died in a spa hospital in Sochi on 14 April 2019.[3]
Marković's political views tended to be hard-line Communist. Although she often claimed that she agreed with her husband on everything, Milošević seems to have had fewer authoritarian tendencies than Marković.[13] She claimed also to be a feminist.[14]
Marković reportedly had little respect for the Bosnian Serb leaders. Vojislav Šešelj appeared before a court on 18 June 1994 to face charges of breaking microphone cables in Parliament. He read a statement, saying, "Mr. Judge, all I can say in my defense is that Milošević is Serbia's biggest criminal." Marković replied by calling Šešelj a "primitive Turk who is afraid to fight like a man, and instead sits around insulting other people's wives."[15] Radovan Karadžić was apparently unable to telephone Milošević because Marković would not tolerate his calls.
Commenting on her husband's arrest to face war crimes charges, Marković stated:
Quote:Neither East nor West has betrayed him. The only person that can betray him is me. But people have short memories and you have to remind everyone of everything. In the early 1990s, my husband was accused by many circles, in Yugoslavia and abroad, that he had wanted to keep Yugoslavia alive, even though it was falling apart and the Croats and the Slovenes wanted to leave. That was his big sin. "Crazy Serbs and Crazy Slobo," they said, they want Yugoslavia. Now, in The Hague, they say he broke up Yugoslavia. Let them make up their minds.[16]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirjana_Markovi%C4%87
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.