Month: March 2009

Propaganda poster from occupied Serbia during WWII. It says “Germany has work for all”.
Between 1941 and 1945 whole population of around 60,000 Jews has been exterminated by Serbian collaborating regime and German occupational forces. Further 200,000 serbian citizens have died, many of them in forced labour camps in Serbia and Germany.

“In order to achieve great changes that we need as a nation we must have energy. Therefore, political leadership must act as a motivational trainer in order to arouse that energy.“

“My priority is to remove all obstacles on Serbia’s road to Europe, without thinking whether those obstacles are set in a justified or an unjustified way.“

“Several things are necessary in reforms, first of all a unique vision of society. I call on people to remember that vision, the vision they fought for, the vision of an organized and successful country in which every individual is well aware of its position and responsibility“

“We want victory at any price. We know no fear. If you have a right idea and if that idea is historically alive and if your only opponent is one historically dead idea, then the victory is a matter of survival for one nation“

“If someone believes they can stop the implementation of the law by eliminating me, they are seriously deluding themselves, because I am not the system. The system will continue to function, and noone will receive amnesty for their crimes by eliminating one or two government officials.”

Dr Zoran Djindjic, assassinated Serbian Prime Minister
1952 – 2003

At a request of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), the Government of Serbia withdrew on Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2009 the Draft Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination from the parliamentary procedure. SPC filed its objections to the Draft Law the day before it had to finally be proposed to the Parliament, after five years of preparations and a broad public debate.

SPC allegedly had the consent of the Belgrade Archbishopric of the Catholic Church, the Islamic Community of Serbia, the Evangelical Church and other religious communities.

Apart from the fact that it belongs to the legislative package to enable Serbia’s inclusion into the “white Schengen list” and enable its citizens visa-free travel to EU and some other European countries, the Law represents one of the pieces of legislation most essential for the further development of democracy and respect, uphold and protection of human and minority rights, change in the value system and acceptance of equality as a condition for the functionality of the system. This Law contributes to the harmonization of Serbian legislation with the standards enshrined in numerous international instruments and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Disputed provisions of the Anti-Discrimination Law:

§ 18:
“Discrimination exists if steps are taken against the principles of freedom of expression of belief or conviction, or if an individual or a group is denied the right to acquire, maintain, express or alter their faith or conviction putty download , as well as the right to privately or publicly express their convictions, in accordance with the law.”

§ 21:
“Gender identity and sexual orientation are a private matter and no person can be called upon to publicly declare one’s gender identity and sexual orientation. Everybody shall have the right to express their gender identity and sexual orientation, whereas discriminatory measures based on expression of gender identity or sexual orientation shall be prohibited. Freedom of expression of gender identity and sexual orientation shall relate to cases of transsexual persons as well.”

Whole text about this blatant act against further assurance of human rights and individual freedoms in Serbia is to be found here.