Twenty-five members of the Coalition Together for LGBTI Rights, which brings together non-governmental organizations and institutions working to improve the human rights of LGBTI persons in Montenegro, condemned, as they said, the hate speech of the president of the parliamentary committee for human rights, Jovan Vučurović, and the deputy of the Democratic Front, Jelena Božović. during the debate on the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Social and Child Protection.
"We again point out to the public that this is not the first time that the president of the Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms has expressed such views, which are not only discriminatory, but represent hate speech and a violation of the human rights of the LGBTI community in Montenegro. Also, Vučurović has proven through his engagement so far that he does not understand the concept of human rights, their universality, indivisibility, inalienability, but also interdependence. If he understood this, he would not declare that any human right of any marginalized group can harm the rights of another group or community, but he would be the first to fight for the human rights of the marginalized Thus, his statements become a serious obstacle to the otherwise unacceptably slow process of inclusion of the LGBTI community," the announcement states.
The Together for LGBTI coalition also condemned, as they said, the hate speech of DF MP and member of the Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms, Jelena Božović, which, they claim, deepens existing inequalities and contributes to the strengthening of prejudices against LGBTI people in Montenegro.
They said that it is inadmissible that such views come from the Assembly, and from the Board itself, because it renders the institutional efforts to establish a system of equality of human rights in society meaningless.
"We remind the public, as well as MP Vučurović and MP Božović, that the Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms of the Parliament of Montenegro considers proposals for laws, other regulations and general acts and other issues related to the freedoms and rights of both man and citizen, with special reference to Therefore, if the two of them cannot come to terms with the fact that the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Montenegro do not belong to any special rights that should be granted to them beyond the existing of the corpus of human rights, we are already talking about the same, universal, human rights that should apply to every individual, and that no one has the right to deny," the statement added.
As they state, the authorities in the Assembly would have to raise the issue of the responsibility of the work of those two members, that is, their membership in the Board. "With expressed hate speech, homophobia and discrimination, they are doing more damage to the work of the same, and therefore to the institution of the Assembly," the Coalition points out.
"We strongly condemn the hate speech of the DF deputy, Nikola Bajčetić, who expressed it on his Twitter account, with an appeal to the deputy to try to understand that hate speech appears as a source of general danger, which encourages and justifies intolerance and, ultimately, violence. Bajčetić must understand that this kind of flirting with hatred and justifying it leads to unfathomable consequences," the announcement states.
They called on the leadership of the Assembly to make efforts to prevent and adequately sanction the "incitement of hatred and intolerance" towards LGBTI persons in that institution.
"We appeal to the members of parliament to continue serious work in harmonizing the law with the Law on Life Partnership of Persons of the Same Sex so that the LGBTI community has the opportunity to exercise all basic human rights", concludes the statement signed by: Juventas, ANIMA - Center for Women's and Peace Education, Center for Monitoring and Research - CeMI, Active Zone, Center for Development of Non-Governmental Organizations (CRNVO), CAZAS, Association Korina, Center for Civic Education (CGO), Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), Montenegrin Women's Lobby, SOS phone for women and children victims of violence Nikšić, Montenegrin Olympic Committee, Spektra Association, Forum for young people and non-formal education - Forum MNE, Prima, Center for Women's Rights, Center for Affirmation of RE Population - CAREP, Action for Human Rights, NGO Stana, Union of High School Students, European Movement in Montenegro, Center for Roma Initiatives, Safe Women's House, Alternative Institute and Montenegrin LGBTIQ Association Queer Montenegro.
Bonus video:
