The non-governmental organizations gathered around the Sarajevo Human Rights House express deep concern with the hate-speech that has come in response to the announcement of the first Queer Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 24 – 28 September. (08-SEP-08)
This article is based on the press release issued by the HRH Sarajevo. The release has been edited for publication here by HRH / Mirsad Pandzic.
In the release, organizations most strongly condemned statements of certain representatives of state institutions, political parties and religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina that have influence on the overall public, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thus lead to evident raising of tensions in the days prior to the Festival.
They reminded that the right to free assembly and the right to free public declaration is guaranteed by the top internationally adopted acts, of which Bosnia and Herzegovina is a signatory and which have been incorporated in the country´s Constitution. Challenging of these rights of groups of male and female citizens gathered around the Q Association is not a reflection of a democratic society that should accept all its citizens regardless of their national or ethnic background and affiliation, language, religious or political beliefs, sex, gender, sexual orientation, financial status, birth, medical condition, disability, marital stays or any other personal feature.
At the end of the release, the organisations making up the Human Rights House in Sarajevo expressed their full support for and solidarity with the Q Association and their activists in organizing this unique festival, which is perhaps one of the exams for society, and where it should demonstrate that it is fully democratic, and that freedom, openness and tolerance are some of its fundamental principles.
For more informations visit web page of Q Association: Queer.BA
Full text of the presse release is available here.
