Statement by Minister for Human and Minority Rights Ferhat Dinosha

Concerning my statement to TV Vijesti about the rights of sexual minorities in Montenegro, as well as the unfounded criticism that followed, I wish to clarify my attitude:
I said that in a conservative and patriarchal society such as ours, the existence of LGBT groups is not good news and that I myself am not very happy about it. However, I emphasised that one should be realistic and should not constrain these persons since they already exist, but provide them with the possibility to exercise their rights without causing any social conflict. I also pointed out that the Ministry and the Government supported and hosted the Conference on Sexual Minorities Rights in the Balkans, held on 23-26 October in Podgorica, and that I am convinced that the Government will continue to protect their rights in accordance with the practice of democratic countries and complying with the signed UN conventions, which explicitly prohibit any form of discrimination. The Ministry remains devoted to the enforcement of the entire corpus of human and minority rights, of course including the rights of sexual minorities.