Portraits of Strength 4th Edition: Katarina Golubović, Serbia

Katarina Golubović was selected to be portrayed in the fourth edition of the “Portraits of Strength” photography series by Human Rights House Belgrade. Her portrait was taken by Marija Vukelic in front of the organisation’s building in Serbia in June 2026.

When did you first realise that you were a human rights defender? 

Defending human rights is a calling. 

I first joined a human rights organisation as a student and very quickly realised that I wasn’t just taking on a job – I had found my calling. It was a commitment to be there for all those who don’t know who to reach out to or which path to take to get through their struggles safely.

I truly realised I was a human rights defender the moment I felt that every single person felt safe with me. Whether they were rich or poor, literate or illiterate, members of an ethnic minority or Serbs, men or women, Orthodox Christians or Jehovah’s Witnesses, prisoners or survivors of violence, they trusted me enough to share their stories, even if we had never met before. 

That commitment soon evolved into activism, a determination to pursue systemic changes that improve the lives of entire communities, whether by advocating for changes in laws and institutional practices or through education. Since then, my work has taken me from prison cells and classrooms to courtrooms, parliament, government institutions, and international organisations. 

You work in a time of significant social and political challenges in Serbia. What has motivated you to continue this work, even when it became difficult?

The voices on the streets make me feel even more responsible to dedicate all my efforts to creating change. 

The shield we carry reminds us that defending freedom cannot be merely a passive response to attacks. When those attacking democratic values are persistent and visible, our presence and our resistance must be even stronger. 

What does it mean to be a woman defending human rights and the rule of law in Serbia today? 

Being a woman defending human rights and the rule of law in Serbia comes with the heavy burden of traditional gender roles that our society expects a woman to fulfil. 

If you fail to meet any of them, it immediately becomes a target for attacks, insults, discredit, and discrimination. I chose and fulfilled all these roles. Even so, carrying my shield every single day is by no means easy. 

Being a mother has, in some ways, protected me from the labels and smear campaigns that many women activists in Serbia have been exposed to. At the same time, it has made me more vulnerable. 

Recently, for the first time, I found myself wondering what would happen to my children if, because of my work, the police came to take me away from my home. The fact that this has become a realistic fear says a great deal about the current state of our society.

What is the current human rights situation in Serbia?

If I had to explain Serbia’s current situation to someone abroad, I would highlight the stark reality of institutional capture, in which public resources and safety are systematically sacrificed for private and political interests. 

What concerns me the most is the normalisation of institutional blindness, which has reached a point where it actively costs human lives, as we tragically witnessed following the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024 – an event that triggered the largest wave of student- and citizen-led protests in Serbia’s recent history. 

At the same time, the most encouraging development has been citizens’ extraordinary resilience and awakening. The strongest signs of resistance now come not only from traditional NGOs but from a decentralised network of local communities, professional associations, and ordinary people who have lost their fear of state repression. Our biggest progress lies in this transformation: from passive endurance to active solidarity.

In recent years, Serbia has witnessed mass protests, increasing pressure on civil society, and debates about the role of institutions and the judiciary. What do these developments tell us about the state of democracy in the country today?

We are witnessing a serious erosion of democracy and the reality of captured institutions. For years, these institutions have been captured and manipulated to serve party and private interests. People within the system, as well as those whose lives, careers, and properties depend on it, repeatedly chose to prioritise private interests, remaining blind to the fact that everything around them was crumbling.

This continued until the collapse of the railway station canopy killed sixteen people. At that moment, the weight of responsibility became impossible to ignore.  The country has since become deeply divided between those who refuse to tolerate a captured state any longer, and those who will fight to protect their positions by any means necessary. 

Today, democracy in Serbia is fighting for survival. Our role is to preserve the foundations we have spent years building, to support the people who haven’t given up the fight from within the system, and to stand in absolute solidarity with whistleblowers and protesters.

What kind of human rights situation would you like to see in Serbia 30 years from now?

In 30 years, I hope the future of human rights in Serbia will be shaped by the collective consciousness that is emerging today. I hope today’s young people will remember that they stood up to protect the public interest. They will remember that they were willing to make sacrifices to say “stop” to a system of corruption that costs human lives, recognising that anyone could become its victim. They have awakened a demand for state accountability to its citizens. They will carry the memory that fundamental freedoms were their most powerful tool, even when others tried to take those freedoms away. This new collective consciousness is the ultimate signal that the future of human rights is bright.

What gives you hope today? Are there people, experiences, or developments that keep you optimistic about the future?

The long-standing mass protests, joined by teachers, doctors, farmers, lawyers, and members of the judiciary, together with an extraordinary sense of solidarity and courage in the face of growing repression, give me hope that there is a powerful force capable of defending democratic values.

What is happening in Serbia right now is not just a protest – it is a transformation. The formation of citizens’ assemblies in local communities and the rise of new movements for change and defence have created an entirely new environment for human rights defenders to fulfil their calling. 

We are now in a position where we do not merely protect, but actively co-create a better living environment, better public services, and better governance together with the community.

What is your motivation as a human rights defender?

To protect human rights means turning an internal understanding of justice into reality: every time a person at risk is successfully protected, their story builds the foundation for a fairer society in which I, too, can be happy.

About Portraits of Strength

Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) work to protect and advance freedoms while facing discrimination and stereotypes about their role and participation in society.

HRHF’s “Portraits of Strength” photography series honours the vital role that women play in defending human rights, and portrays women human rights defenders from across the Network of Human Rights Houses.

The exhibition, now in its fourth edition, shares portraits taken by local women photographers and tells the stories from WHRDs working on a variety of issues, including the documentation of human rights violations and alleged war crimes, rule of law, women’s rights, political prisoners, freedom of expression, and more.

Find out more here.