• 2020-12-04

Rather Than Promoting the Application of Law, Serbia’s National Assembly Has Become a Promoter of Hate Speech

The Center for Democracy Foundation joins the general population and civil society organisations in their criticism of the aggressive campaigns and hate speech directed at certain individuals and the media coming directly from the Plenary Hall of Serbia’s National Assembly.

Within its legislation, the Republic of Serbia has provided mechanisms for combating hate speech. These mechanisms are defined in the Prohibition of Discrimination Law, Public Information and the Media Law, Electronic Media Law and finally the Criminal Code.

Furthermore, Serbia is a member of the Council of Europe, an international organisation that has been leading institutional processes for many years, adopting documents, resolutions and recommendations that should improve the national legislation of Member States in this area, but also prepares societies for resistance to destructive hate mechanisms within the media and the public space.

In an obvious search for political enemies, MPs of such a dominant majority have now redirected their attacks on opposition representatives no longer in parliament, toward prominent individuals, physicians, film and theatre artists who are fighting for the respect of their professions, for a more just society and the right to express their opinions. Instead of being a place of sober, argumentative discussion on key political issues, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia has taken the decision to use hate speech as an obvious mechanism to stifle freedom of expression.

Hate speech has long been recognised as a serious threat to human rights and modern democracies.  Let us not forget that the Council of Europe, of which Serbia is a full member, recognises hate speech prevention as a matter of paramount importance. With the forming of an expert committee that deals with standards and practices that relate to hate speech, the goal is to prepare comprehensive guidelines for Member States on how to effectively combat this phenomenon. Public speech in Serbia as it exists today, certainly does not contribute to this battle.

For this reason, it is our duty as a civil society organisation to continue to monitor the situation and point out any apparent lack of law enforcement and of accepted international democratic standards committed by the highest representatives of government, and to strengthen the mechanisms put into place for reporting hate speech and for defending those on its receiving end. This is not only in the defence of individuals, the principles of independence and freedom of the media and the freedom of expression, but rather in defence of the survival of the basic foundations of a democratic society.

Center for Democracy Foundation