YUCOM Condemns Attacks on Reporters Covering Protests in Support of Karad�ic

Human Rights Lawyer`s Committee YUCOM condemned the rampaging of extremist right wing groups in the streets of Belgrade and the attacks on journalists during the gathering organized to support the Hague suspect Radovan Karad�ić, as serious abuse of freedom of expression and public gathering.

- We demand from the state authorities, above all the Ministry of Interior and the Government, to implement existing legislation and protect the Constitutionally guaranteed human rights, primarily the right to personal security, freedom of expression and to ban violent gatherings, says Biljana Kovačević Vučo, YUCOM President.

YUCOM believes that attacks on the journalists reporting from the rallies is a classic case of hate crime and that political figures abusing freedom of expression to incite hatred should bear full responsibility.

YUCOM demands from the Parliament to revoke the immunity from prosecution for those MPs that took part in the organization of protests of the extreme right, noting that immunity doesn`t absolve them from responsibility for the committed offences.

The organization demands from the Ministry of Interior to use its Constitutional authority to ban further violent protests in support of Radovan Karad�ić to protect the rights and personal safety for all citizens of Serbia.