Zagorka Dolovac Is Not “The Only Woman From Novi Sad Awarded With the Legion of Honor”

FN Tragač/Medija centar/Wikimedia

Original article (in Serbian) was published on 1/1/2025; Author: Aleksa Ćirić

Serbian Chief Public Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac has been under scrutiny for more than two months by numerous citizens awaiting the response of authorities following the tragic collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station. Some media outlets have written about her role in investigating the canopy collapse, specifically her silence despite increasingly evident evidence of corruption that led to the tragedy. For instance, the web portal Nova.rs noted that the “only Novi Sad native who has been awarded the Legion of Honor” at the rank of knight is not exactly demonstrating knightly behavior during the investigation of the canopy collapse but is instead “persistently silent”.

Without intending to justify the inaction of Chief Public Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac, both in the case of the canopy and in numerous other scandals she has “slept through”, we would like to draw attention to an error made by web portal Nova.rs: Zagorka Dolovac is not the only Novi Sad native to have been awarded the prestigious French Legion of Honor during her career.

Which woman from Novi Sad was awarded the Legion of Honor before Zagorka Dolovac?

If we search Google for Serbian citizens who hold the Legion of Honor, the search engine might present a recently published article by the web portal Nova.rs titled:

“Chivalry of Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac: When the only woman from Novi Sad who has been awarded the Legion of Honor persistently remains silent about the Novi Sad crime”.

Chief Public Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac was indeed awarded the Legion of Honor in June 2020, along with Deputy Public Prosecutor Gordana Janjicevic, as confirmed by the French Embassy. Confirmation that Dolovac was born in Novi Sad can be found in her biography on the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office website.

However, is she the only woman from Novi Sad considered worthy of this distinction? In short – no. The suspicion that Nova.rs might have made an error arose when we reviewed Wikipedia’s list of “Individuals awarded the French National Order of the Legion of Honor who was citizens of the Principality and Kingdom of Serbia, the Kingdom and SFR Yugoslavia (from Serbia), and the Republic of Serbia”. Among others, this list includes poet and journalist Mira Aleckovic. Wikipedia confirms that Aleckovic was a recipient of the honor and that she was born in Novi Sad. However, evidence of this exists beyond just Wikipedia.

Both pieces of information are also confirmed by the Lexicon of Writers of Serbian Literature by Matica Srpska. In the 2020 edition, next to Mira Aleckovic’s name and birth date, Novi Sad is listed as her birthplace. While Aleckovic’s family moved away from Novi Sad early in her life – meaning “poet from Novi Sad” might not be the first association with her – she was indeed born in Novi Sad. Furthermore, the lexicon states: “In France, she was awarded the titles Knight of the Legion of Honor, Officer of the Legion of Honor, and Officer of Arts and Letters”.

Part of Lexicon of Writers of Serbian Literature by Matica Srpska (2020. edition)

One of these awards was reported in the newspaper Borba on Tuesday, April 10, 1984. Additionally, Tragac contacted Alice Bouteille, Director of Communications at the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor, to confirm whether Mira Aleckovic was indeed awarded the mentioned honor. “I confirm that Mira Aleckovic was awarded the Legion of Honor in 1971 (Knight) and in 1984 (Officer)”, Alice Bouteille from the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor replied.

Which Serbian-born citizens have also been awarded the honor?

When Napoleon Bonaparte introduced the idea of establishing the Legion of Honor in 1802, it did not gain universal approval. Critics of the idea believed the award should be given exclusively for military achievements. Ultimately, that criticism was not strong enough to separate the award from recognizing civilian merits. To this day, it is awarded “to all who defend freedom and equality through their actions, regardless of birthplace, religion, or nationality”. In its broadest sense, the Legion of Honor was conceived as a reward for anyone who fought for the ideas of the French Revolution.

Since the award transcends borders, it has been granted in Serbia (and the former Yugoslavia, as well as its predecessor states) multiple times since its establishment. The recipients include individuals from various fields – artists (Emir Kusturica, Aleksandar Tisma), scientists (Pavle Savic), journalists (Olja Beckovic, Veran Matic, Ljubica Gojgic, Zoran Sekulic)…

Note (January 5, 2025): Portal Nova.rs has corrected the wrong statement in accordance with professional standards.

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