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Mirjana Marković

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Mirjana Marković
Мирјана Марковић
Marković in 1989
First Lady of theSocialist Republic of Serbia
In office
8 May 1989 – 28 September 1990
First Lady of theRepublic of Serbia
In office
11 January 1991 – 23 July 1997
First Lady of theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia
In office
23 July 1997 – 7 October 2000
Preceded byLjubica Brković Lilić
Succeeded byZorica Radović
Personal details
Born(1942-07-10)10 July 1942
Požarevac,German-occupied Serbia
Died14 April 2019(2019-04-14)(aged 76)
Moscow,Russia
Resting placePožarevac, Serbia
Political partySKJ(until 1990)
SK–PJ(1990–1994)
JUL(1994–2003)
Spouse
​
​
(m.1965; died 2006)​
Children2, includingMarko
Parents
RelativesMarko Milošević(grandson)
OccupationPh.D in Sociology
EmployerUniversity of Belgrade
Criminal chargeAbuse of Office by Incitement
Criminal statusFugitive; Died during trial in absentia

Mirjana"Mira"Marković(Serbian Cyrillic:Мирјана "Мира" Марковић,pronounced[mǐrjanamǐːramǎːrkovitɕ];10 July 1942 – 14 April 2019) was aSerbianpolitician, academic and the wife ofYugoslavandSerbian presidentSlobodan Milošević.[1]

She was the leader of thefar-leftYugoslav United Left(JUL) which governed in coalition with Milošević'sSocialist Party of Serbiain the aftermath of theBosnian War.She was reported to have huge influence over her husband and was increasingly seen as thepower behind the throne.[1][2]Among her opponents, she was known as The Red Witch and theLady Macbethof Belgrade.[3]

Marković was accused ofabuse of office,inciting several associates to allocate a state-owned apartment for her grandson’s nanny in September 2000. She was indicted in December 2002 and fledBelgradeon 23 February 2003. In June 2018, she was declared guiltyin absentiaby a court in Belgrade, and sentenced to a year's imprisonment,[4]but the verdict was overturned on appeal in March 2019.[5]

Marković lived under political asylum inMoscow,Russia,from February 2003 until her death in 2019.

Life

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Early life

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Marković was the daughter ofMoma MarkovićandVera Miletić,who were both fighting for theYugoslav Partisansat the time of her birth. Her aunt was Davorjanka Paunović, private secretary and alleged mistress ofJosip Broz Tito.Her mother Vera was captured byGermantroops and allegedly released sensitive information, under torture.[6]She was then executed in theBanjica concentration campby theNazis.

Marković metSlobodan Miloševićwhen they were in high school together. They married in 1965.[3]The couple had two children, sonMarkoand daughter Marija, who foundedTV Košavain 1998 and was its owner until theoverthrow of Miloševićon 5 October 2000.

Education and career

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Marković held a Ph.D. in sociology and taught the subject at theUniversity of Belgrade.Later, she became an honorary member of theRussian Academy of Sciences.

She was considered to be the only person her husband trusted, her influence being considered a source for the increase in Milošević stronganti-westernrhetoric and actions. "She invented him", Milošević biographer Slavoljub Đukić told theOttawa Citizenin 1998. "There has never been such a powerful woman in the history of Serbia as Mirjana Marković. And she has been fatal for Serbia."[7]As the leader of her own political party,Yugoslav United Leftshe held some political influence.[2]Marković was largely responsible for erecting theEternal Flamemonument, shortly before the overthrow of Milošević in 2000.[8]She was believed, though not formally accused, of being involved in the murders of her husband's political rivals including the Serbian politicianIvan Stambolić,Milošević's former mentor, in 2000, and the journalistSlavko Ćuruvijathe previous year.[7][3]"Milošević has never had any political ideas of his own", Stambolić said in 2000. "They've all been hers."[7]She wrote a political column in the weekly Serbian magazineDugaduring the sequence ofwars in the 1990s.Observers read it for any coded messages. In theold Yugoslavia,she once wrote "Serbs,MuslimsandCroatswere able to live side by side ", though her husband and his associates presided overits destruction.[9]

Marković was the author of many books, which were translated and sold in Canada, Russia, China, and India.[10]

Political views

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Marković's political views tended to behard-lineCommunist.Although she often claimed that she agreed with her husband on everything, Milošević seems to have had fewer authoritarian tendencies than Marković.[11]

Marković reportedly had little respect for theBosnian Serbleaders.Vojislav Šešeljappeared before a court on 18 June 1994 to face charges of breaking microphone cables inParliament.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 "primitiveTurkwho is afraid to fight like a man, and instead sits around insulting other people's wives. "[12]Radovan Karadžićwas apparently unable to telephone Milošević because Marković would not tolerate his calls.

Commenting on her husband's arrest to facewar crimescharges, Marković stated:

NeitherEastnorWesthas 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 theCroatsand theSlovenes wanted to leave.That was his big sin. Crazy Serbs and Crazy Slobo, they said, they want Yugoslavia. Now, inthe Hague,they say he broke up Yugoslavia. Let them make their minds up.[13]

Asylum in Russia and death

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Pursued by legal authorities, Marković settled in Russia in 2003.[3]The authorities of Serbia issued an arrest warrant for her on fraud charges which was circulated viaInterpol,but the Russian authorities refused to arrest her.

In March 2012, a collection of her columns forPravdafrom 2007 to 2008, as well as for online portalSlobodafrom 2010 to 2011, titledDestierrada e imperdidawas published in Belgrade byTreći milenijum,a publishing house owned by Hadži Dragan Antić.[14][15]

After the2012 elections,a government minister,Milutin Mrkonjićof theSocialist Party(which he co-founded with Milošević) said that Marković and her son were welcome to return.[16]In June 2018, Marković was found guiltyin absentiaof 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 surgeries, and died inMoscowon 14 April 2019.[9]The New York Timesreported her death was caused by complications due topneumonia.[17]Her body was cremated and interred inPožarevacalongside her husband on 20 April 2019.[18]

Books

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  • Night and Day: A Diary- Dragiša Nikolić, December 1995 - 978-8682005223
  • Night & Day: A Diary- Quarry Press, May 1997 - 978-1550821680
  • Answer- Quarry Press, March 1997 - 978-1550821697

References

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  1. ^abPrentice, Eve-Ann (15 April 2019)."Mira Marković obituary".The Guardian.Retrieved16 April2019.
  2. ^ab"Mira Markovic: Power behind Milosevic".BBC. 13 January 2001.Retrieved27 March2019.
  3. ^abcdRoberts, Sam."Mirjana Markovic, the 'Lady Macbeth' of War-Torn Serbia, Dies at 76".The New York Times.Retrieved6 April2019.
  4. ^ab"Serbian court sentences Milosevic's wife for real estate fraud - report".Reuters.27 June 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 28 June 2018.Retrieved16 April2019.
  5. ^ab"Serbia appeals court overturns verdict for Milosevic's widow".MSN.Associated Press. 26 March 2019.Retrieved16 April2019.
  6. ^Dai Richards (Series Producer/Director) (January 2003).The Fall of Milosevic(Documentary). BBC TWO.
  7. ^abcSchudel, Matt (20 April 2019)."Mirjana Markovic, wife and political adviser to Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic, dies at 76".-The Washington Post.Retrieved22 April2019.
  8. ^Mučibabić, Daliborka (13 July 2010).""Večna vatra" – paljenje ili rušenje ".Politika(in Serbian).Retrieved27 March2019.
  9. ^abLebor, Adam (18 April 2019)."Mirjana Markovic, Serbian politician, 1942-2019".Financial Times.Archivedfrom the original on 10 December 2022.Retrieved22 April2019.Some sources have said she died in Sochi.
  10. ^"Yugoslav Left".Free Serbia.10 December 1999. Archived fromthe originalon 2 March 2012.Retrieved28 March2019.
  11. ^LeBor 2002,pp. 183–5.
  12. ^Djukić 2001,p. 93.
  13. ^LeBor 2002,pp. 282.
  14. ^"Mirina knjiga okupila drugove"(in Serbian). B92. 20 March 2012.Retrieved28 March2019.
  15. ^"Nova knjiga Mirjane Marković"(in Serbian). RTS. 21 March 2012.Retrieved28 March2019.
  16. ^"Official: Milosevic family welcome back in Serbia".Associated Press. 19 September 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 11 November 2013.Retrieved28 March2019.
  17. ^Roberts, Sam (15 April 2019)."Mirjana Markovic, the 'Lady Macbeth' of War-Torn Serbia, Dies at 76".The New York Times.Retrieved11 September2020.
  18. ^Politika(21 April 2019)."Opelo pod lipom"(in Serbian).Retrieved5 July2019.

Sources

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Quotations related toMirjana Markovićat Wikiquote

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