Dulic Should Apologize and Prevent Hate Speech in the Parliament

CRNPS

16 November 2007

Fifteen Serbian human rights organizations sent an open letter to Oliver Dulic, the Speaker of the Serbian Skupstina, with a demand for public apology to Natasa Kandic and the Croatian minority in Serbia in the next session of the Skupstina (Serbian Parliament).

The Letter also demands from Dulic to take all the measures at his disposal to sanction the Serbian Radical Party and prevent any future attempts to promote hate and intimidating speech.

The organizations remind Dulic that Natasa Kandic was subjected to a whole day of attacks and torture, with insults and hate-speech addressed at the citizens of Croatian nationality. Further more, the Radical Party MPs sold booklet � The Hrtkovci Affair and the Ustasa Whore Natasa Kandic, right in the hall of the Parliament.

They note that the said public demonstration of primitivism and hatred didn�t meet adequate reaction by the Members of the Skupstina. Furthermore, the NGOs say that Dulic�s statement about the sale of book without proper cash register receipt contributed to the overall climate of pogrom and demonstrated the immorality and irresponsibility of the institution Dulic Presides over.

The signatories of the letter warn that Dulic holds the responsibility for the fact that the pulpit was used to glorify crimes and intimidate witnesses, and to attack people who fight to find the truth and punish the criminals.

- Your unprofessional and irresponsible management of Skupstina sessions allowed it to turn into a field for war propaganda. The glorification of war crimes and criminal ideas is not a legitimate political option, but socially unacceptable behaviour that demands reaction of the proper authorities, says the open letter. (For a list of signatories, see www.crnps.org.yu).