Mirjana Markovic
Encyclopedia
Mirjana "Mira" Marković (mǐrjana mǐːra mǎːrkɔʋit͡ɕ) (born 10 July 1942) is the leader of the Yugoslav Left
political party (JUL/ЈУЛ is the Serbian acronym) and the widow and childhood friend of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević
.
. Her mother was a member of Tito's partisans during the war. She was captured by German troops and allegedly released sensitive information, under torture. Upon return, she was executed by the partisans, allegedly under the orders of her own father. However, according to her grandmother, the story is a little different. Her father had betrayed her to Gestapo in order to get rid of her, and she was captured as a Partisan courier, wearing clothes which included a handkerchief with flowers. She was then executed in Banjica prison by the Germans.
Her father had fathered five children out of wedlock all around Serbia. He had three legitimate children later on, and his wife made him recognize all of his children after the war. Thus, he finally admitted Mira Marković-Miletić (her mother's maiden name, that she carried until then, after her mother Vera), as his daughter when she was 13. It was then that Slobodan Milosević became interested in her. She wore a flower in her hair in memory of her mother.
Her nickname was "Baca" at the time, that her grandparents gave her. It is because she was dropped ("baciti" means "to drop" in Serbian) by her father into the brook, when their grandparents, who lost all their children, were hiding her from Chetniks in the local mill. When they called him and gave Mira to him, he dropped her shouting "Ne treba mi pasce od kuje!". ("I don't need a hound from the bitch"). She was left scarred at the forehead and this is why she always wore bangs, to hide the scar.
Marković met Slobodan Milošević
when they were in high school together. They married in 1965. The couple had two children, son Marko and daughter Marija.
appeared before a court on 18 June 1994 after he broke microphone cables in the Parliament. He read off a statement, saying, "Mr. Judge, all I can say in my defense is that Milošević is Serbia's biggest criminal." Marković replied by calling Seselj a "primitive Turk who is afraid to fight like a man, and instead sits around insulting other people's wives." Karadzic
was apparently unable to telephone Milosević, because Mira would not tolerate his calls. She was also a feminist though her demands for female superiority were not very popular in Serbia.
When commenting on her husband's arrest, Marković stated:
After her husband's arrest, Marković went on exile in Russia
. The authorities of Serbia
have issued an arrest warrant for her on fraud charges which has been circulated via Interpol
, but the Russian authorities have refused to arrest her. In December 2006, nine months after her husband's death during his trial at The Hague
, a Serbian court ordered her arrest on charges of ordering the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija
. Minister Vuk Drašković
stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will demand extradition of Marković from Russia
. In 2008, a Serbian prosecutor announced that Marković may be tried in absentia.
Yugoslav Left
Yugoslav Left was a left-wing political party in Serbia and Montenegro. It was formed in 1994 as is a coalition of 23 left-wing and communist parties, led by the League of Communists - Movement for Yugoslavia . It has been led by Mirjana Marković, the wife of Slobodan Milošević...
political party (JUL/ЈУЛ is the Serbian acronym) and the widow and childhood friend of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
.
Personal life
Marković is the daughter of Moma Marković, a wartime communist partisan and Vera Miletić. Her aunt was Davorjanka Paunović, private secretary and mistress of Josip Broz TitoJosip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
. Her mother was a member of Tito's partisans during the war. She was captured by German troops and allegedly released sensitive information, under torture. Upon return, she was executed by the partisans, allegedly under the orders of her own father. However, according to her grandmother, the story is a little different. Her father had betrayed her to Gestapo in order to get rid of her, and she was captured as a Partisan courier, wearing clothes which included a handkerchief with flowers. She was then executed in Banjica prison by the Germans.
Her father had fathered five children out of wedlock all around Serbia. He had three legitimate children later on, and his wife made him recognize all of his children after the war. Thus, he finally admitted Mira Marković-Miletić (her mother's maiden name, that she carried until then, after her mother Vera), as his daughter when she was 13. It was then that Slobodan Milosević became interested in her. She wore a flower in her hair in memory of her mother.
Her nickname was "Baca" at the time, that her grandparents gave her. It is because she was dropped ("baciti" means "to drop" in Serbian) by her father into the brook, when their grandparents, who lost all their children, were hiding her from Chetniks in the local mill. When they called him and gave Mira to him, he dropped her shouting "Ne treba mi pasce od kuje!". ("I don't need a hound from the bitch"). She was left scarred at the forehead and this is why she always wore bangs, to hide the scar.
Marković met Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
when they were in high school together. They married in 1965. The couple had two children, son Marko and daughter Marija.
Education
She was professor of Sociology at Belgrade University, in which she had PhD. Later on, she became honour member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Arts. She had a political column in Duga weekly during her husband's years in power. She was considered very powerful and the only person who her husband trusted and consulted. Also, as the leader of Yugoslav United Left, she used to have independent political influence. Mira is also the author of numerous books, which are translated and sold in Canada, Russia, China and India.Political views
Marković's political views tended to be hard-line Communist. Although she often claimed that she agreed with her husband on everything, Slobodan seems to have been less of an authoritarian than Mira. Mira had little respect for the Bosnian Serb leaders. Vojislav SeseljVojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj, JD is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party and was vice-president of Serbia between 1998 and 2000...
appeared before a court on 18 June 1994 after he broke microphone cables in the Parliament. He read off a statement, saying, "Mr. Judge, all I can say in my defense is that Milošević is Serbia's biggest criminal." Marković replied by calling Seselj a "primitive Turk who is afraid to fight like a man, and instead sits around insulting other people's wives." Karadzic
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
was apparently unable to telephone Milosević, because Mira would not tolerate his calls. She was also a feminist though her demands for female superiority were not very popular in Serbia.
When commenting on her husband's arrest, Marković stated:
After her husband's arrest, Marković went on exile in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The authorities of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
have issued an arrest warrant for her on fraud charges which has been circulated via Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
, but the Russian authorities have refused to arrest her. In December 2006, nine months after her husband's death during his trial at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, a Serbian court ordered her arrest on charges of ordering the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija
Slavko Curuvija
Slavko Ćuruvija was a Serbian journalist and newspaper publisher. His brutal murder on 11 April 1999 in Belgrade, Serbia provoked international outrage and wide condemnation...
. Minister Vuk Drašković
Vuk Draškovic
Vuk Drašković , leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, is a Serbian politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia.He graduated from the University of Belgrade's Law School in 1968...
stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will demand extradition of Marković from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In 2008, a Serbian prosecutor announced that Marković may be tried in absentia.