Zoran Djindjic (1952-2003)

Born in Bosanski Samac, 1952. Graduated from Belgrade University’s Faculty of Philosophy in 1974. Obtained his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Konstantz in Germany, under the mentorship of Dr Jurgen Habermaas, one of the world’s most distinguished philosophers.

The essays and works of Dr Djindjic, one of Serbia’s leading intellectuals, have been published in the periodicals Stav, Knjizevna Rec and Knjizevne Novine. He is also well-known for his books "Serbia; neither East nor West," "Subjectivity and Violence," "Yugoslavia – the Partially Formed State" and "The Fall of the Dialectics."

As a student in Tito’s Yugoslavia, Zoran Djindjic took an active role in the opposition movement. He was arrested and sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for attempting to set up an autonomous student organization with fellow student leaders from Zagreb and Ljubljana.

Dr Djindjic taught philosophy at the University of Novi Sad for a time. Shortly afterwards, he teamed up with prominent Serbian dissident writers and intellectuals to found the Democratic Party, in 1989. A year later, at the annual convention of the Democratic Party, he was elected President of the executive committee. He was elected President of the Democratic Party in January 1994.

In 1990 he was elected MP in the Serbian Parliament. In the same year he became the Democratic Party caucus whip in the Republican Parliament. In 1993 he entered the Chamber of Republics in the Federal Parliament. Following 88-days of student and civic protests at the theft of local and regional elections in 1996-1997, he was elected the first non-communist mayor of Belgrade.

In June 2000, he became coordinator of the Alliance for Change, the largest democratic coalition in Serbia. In August 2000 he became DOS pre-election campaign coordinator.

He was appointed Serbian Prime Minister on January 25, 2001. He spoke German and English. He was assassinated on March 12, 2003 in front of the Serbian government building. Djindjic is survived by his wife Ruzica, and their two children: daughter Jovana and son Luka.