Condemnation of the attack on executive director of the NGO "LGBT Forum Progress" Stevan Milivojevic

Ministry for Human and Minority Rights condemns most fiercely the physical and verbal attack on the executive director of the NGO “LGBT Forum Progress”, Stevan Milivijevic, who was attacked yesterday. Incidents motivated with prejudices and sence of violence are often targeted towards LGBT persons, and a special attention is payed towards activists for LGBTI rights, who advocate better visibility of this community.

Thehe incidents show us the amount of the need for activism and changes in our society, which tends to be fully democratic and to respect the rule of law.

 Ministarstvo apeluje da se, u konkretnom slučaju, kao i u svakom drugom, pronađu počinioci incidenta i adekvatno procesuiraju i sankcionišu, jer se ne smije dozvoliti, niti tolerisati da iko prijeti našim građanima/kama i fizički ih napada.

Walking away from any kind of stigmatization and discrimination, is a resistence to violating fundamental human rights and can promote the sence of community in which a difference would not represent bases for segregation and divisions, but basis for common progress and full respect of the rule of law.

Verbal threats and physical attacks are absolutely impermissible in a seriously democratic society and on this occasion, we invite all the institutions in charge to enable adequate protection of all our citizens regardless of their sexual orientation or any other personal characteristics.

Ministry urgently asks for discovering the culprits of this incident as in any other cases, and to have them prosecuted and punished properly according to the law. It cannot be allowed anyhow, or tolerated as well, anybody to threat our citizens and to attack them physically.

In a democratic society, everyones human rights and freedoms have to be protected and it is indisputable.

Educations of the public about negative consequences of all the kinds of violence, about the importance of toleration and respecting diversities, actually respecting human rights and freedoms of all members of the society are great and important items in the way towards zero tolerantion of discrimination.

Ministry for Human and Minority Rights reminds everyone that support of the organizations and institutions has an important role in this kind of situations because of the fact that send infoemation to the public together with a clear message against violence and hatred.

Ministry for Human and Minority Rights