Stanislava Staša Zajović (

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...

: Станислава Сташа Зајовић; born 25 January 1953) is a peace activist and feminist writer. She is the co-founder and coordinator of

Women in Black Women in Black () is a women's anti-war movement with an estimated 10,000 activists around the world. The first group was formed by Israeli women in Jerusalem in 1988, following the outbreak of the First Intifada. History Responding to what ...

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Biography

She graduated Spanish and Italian language at

Belgrade University The University of Belgrade () is a public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Krag ...

and joined feminist movement in 1980s in Belgrade. She is engaged in many feminist activities from organizing street actions to working with refugees, women, etc. She initiated several women's networks, like ''Women’s Peace Network'',''The International Network of Women’s Solidarity against War/International Women in Black Network'', ''Network of Conscientious Objectors and Anti militarism in Serbia'', ''The Coalition for a Secular State'', etc. She organized numerous educational activities focusing on women’s human rights, women’s peace politics, inter-ethnic and inter-cultural solidarity, women and power, women and anti-militarism. She was instrumental in expanding the network of Women in Black in the world. For example, in her book ''Mujeres en pie de paz'',

Carmen Magallón Carmen Magallón-Portolés is a PhD, a physicist, and Master in Philosophy of Science by University of Zaragoza, Spain, committed with the advancement of women through researching their contributions to two important fields: Women in science, scien ...

relates that Staša's visit to Spain in 1993, her ideas and commitment, influenced the creation of the group

in that country. Staša Zajović is the author of numerous essays, articles and supplements in local, regional and international media, magazines and publications on women and politics, reproductive rights, war, nationalism and militarism, women’s resistance to war, and anti militarism (1992–present). In 2017, Staša Zajović signed the

Declaration on the Common Language The Declaration on the Common Language ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku, Декларација о заједничком језику, separator=" / ") was issued in 2017 by a group of intellectuals and NGOs from Bosnia and He ...

of the

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

and

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

. She was part of Women in Black representation at commemoration events to war victims in Vukovar (Croatia) and speaker for the protest that marked anniversary of start of the

war in Bosnia The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incidents, the war is commonly seen as ha ...

, highlighting the lack of visibility of these events, victims and processing of war crimes. She has been nominated for and she won a range of prizes and awards. Among these are the following: Millennium Peace Prize for Women, ''Honorary Citizenship of Tutin'', ''Honorary Citizenship of Granada'', etc. She was nominated for The

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

as part of the 1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize campaign in 2005, also in 2005 and 2007 she was nominated for ''Newspaper Person of the Year'' by the daily

Danas ''Danas'' (, Serbo-Croatian for "today") is a United Group-owned daily newspaper of record published in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a left-oriented media, promoting social-democracy and European Union integration. It is a vocal media supporter of Ser ...

References

External links

Žene u crnom - Women in Black

Interview for Deutsche Welle (in Croatian)

Interview for Al Jazeera (in Serbo-Croatian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zajovic, Stasa 1953 births Living people People from Nikšić Serbian activists Serbian women activists Serbian feminists Montenegrin activists Montenegrin women activists Yugoslav activists University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology alumni Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language