Civil society activists and officials have
condemned the beating up of three men - two of whom took part in making a video
promoting gay rights in Montenegro.
Danilo Marunovic,
director of the video, Todor Vujosevic, an actor in it, and their friend, Mirko
Boskovic, a journalist at Montenegro's public broadcaster, RTCG, were attacked
on the night between Sunday and Monday, allegedly by fans of a sports club. The
video was produced in November 2011 as part of a project of two local NGOs, the
Centre for Civic Education, CGO, and LGBT Forum Progress. The video advocated
increased tolerance for the LGBT community in Montenegro, showing two men
kissing each other while watching a football match. One was Vujosevic.
The
three were reportedly attacked by fans of the Podgorica sports club Buducnost
in the centre of capital and received minor injuries. CGO and the LGBT Forum
Progress condemned the attack, saying that it was clear that the motive for the
act was hatred, and the three men's only crime was contributing to a culture of
tolerance. LGBT Progress filed a criminal complaint against four unnamed fans
for the attack and against one alleged accomplice, whose identity is also
known. Vijesti Television stated that one of its sport journalists, Dijana
Drobnjak, was in the company of the attackers. She has been suspended from her
duties pending an investigation.
The NGO Human Rights Action said that the fan
club, called Varvari, should be banned if it was proven that it contributed to
the incident.
Officials also condemned the attack. "We strongly condemn
this act of vandalism … and expect the authorities to resolve the case quickly
and efficiently and punish the perpetrators in line with the law,” Jovan
Kojicic, the government's chief advisor on human rights and
anti-discrimination, said.
11/09/2012 -Balkan Insight
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