On April 4 this year, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo passed a first-instance verdict which, for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, judicially confirmed discrimination against LGBTI people, it was said today at the press conference of the Sarajevo Open Center.
As Darko Pandurevic from the Sarajevo Open Center said, the verdict refers to a public speech sent on his Facebook profile by the then member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, Samra Cosovic Hajdarevic.
– She then, reacting to the announcement of the organizers of the First Pride Parade of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reacted with the status, which was transmitted in many print and electronic media. “The state has no right to complain until you improve the situation of the people. A small group of 15 activists from Prijedor, Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Bijeljina, Tuzla and other parts of BiH gained great importance and significance. Fifteen of them are enough to launch an initiative for the procession and organize the so-called pride parades aimed at ruining the state and its people. Everyone has the right to life as he wishes, so we also have the right to choose who we want to live with. I want people like this to isolate themselves and stay away from our children and society. Let them go somewhere else and make themselves a city, a state, laws and their own rights that no one will dispute. But NO here! ” – explains Panadurević.
Freedom of speech
The lawyer who represented SOC, Dženana Hadžiomerović, emphasized that the verdict is first instance and that it is not final or final.
– For the first time, a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina determined the existence of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender characteristics. It has been almost 13 years since the first verdict since 2009, when sexual orientation and gender identity were introduced as prohibited grounds through the said Law. Also, freedom of speech is not absolute and people must be aware of the messages and the consequences of such messages that they broadcast to the public – said Hadžiomerović.
She added that criticism or negative comments about LGBTI people and the Pride Parade may be freedom of speech, but publicly calling for the isolation, segregation and removal of individuals from society because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender characteristics is clear hate speech.
Hate speech
Member of the Organizing Committee of BH. Pride Parade Lejla Huremović said that this verdict is very important because it has been proven that spreading hate speech and calling for violence against LGBTIQ people in the online sphere (social networks) can expand and affect the quality of life of LGBTIQ people, or can lead to physical violence.
– This is a confirmation that hate speech and incitement to violence on social networks, especially of public figures and politicians, is not permissible and can be sanctioned. In the spirit of this year’s BiH Pride Parade, which is on June 25, let this verdict be a reminder to all that every hate speech and call for violence will be reported and that we will expect the same or similar verdicts – said Huremović.
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On April 4 this year, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo passed a first-instance verdict which, for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, judicially confirmed discrimination against LGBTI people, it was said today at the press conference of the Sarajevo Open Center.
As Darko Pandurevic from the Sarajevo Open Center said, the verdict refers to a public speech sent on his Facebook profile by the then member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, Samra Cosovic Hajdarevic.
– She then, reacting to the announcement of the organizers of the First Pride Parade of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reacted with the status, which was transmitted in many print and electronic media. “The state has no right to complain until you improve the situation of the people. A small group of 15 activists from Prijedor, Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Bijeljina, Tuzla and other parts of BiH gained great importance and significance. Fifteen of them are enough to launch an initiative for the procession and organize the so-called pride parades aimed at ruining the state and its people. Everyone has the right to life as he wishes, so we also have the right to choose who we want to live with. I want people like this to isolate themselves and stay away from our children and society. Let them go somewhere else and make themselves a city, a state, laws and their own rights that no one will dispute. But NO here! ” – explains Panadurević.
Freedom of speech
The lawyer who represented SOC, Dženana Hadžiomerović, emphasized that the verdict is first instance and that it is not final or final.
– For the first time, a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina determined the existence of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender characteristics. It has been almost 13 years since the first verdict since 2009, when sexual orientation and gender identity were introduced as prohibited grounds through the said Law. Also, freedom of speech is not absolute and people must be aware of the messages and the consequences of such messages that they broadcast to the public – said Hadžiomerović.
She added that criticism or negative comments about LGBTI people and the Pride Parade may be freedom of speech, but publicly calling for the isolation, segregation and removal of individuals from society because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender characteristics is clear hate speech.
Hate speech
Member of the Organizing Committee of BH. Pride Parade Lejla Huremović said that this verdict is very important because it has been proven that spreading hate speech and calling for violence against LGBTIQ people in the online sphere (social networks) can expand and affect the quality of life of LGBTIQ people, or can lead to physical violence.
– This is a confirmation that hate speech and incitement to violence on social networks, especially of public figures and politicians, is not permissible and can be sanctioned. In the spirit of this year’s BiH Pride Parade, which is on June 25, let this verdict be a reminder to all that every hate speech and call for violence will be reported and that we will expect the same or similar verdicts – said Huremović.
Bosnia seems like a great next EU member