<strong>Implementation</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Transitional</strong> <strong>Laws</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong> <strong>2006</strong>The Convention condemns all propaganda and all organizations which arebased on ideas or theories <strong>of</strong> superiority <strong>of</strong> one race or group <strong>of</strong> persons<strong>of</strong> one color or ethnic orig<strong>in</strong>, or which attempt to justify or promote racialhatred and discrim<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> any form, and states parties undertake toadopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all <strong>in</strong>citementto discrim<strong>in</strong>ation 449 . F<strong>in</strong>ally, states parties agreed to assure 450 to everyonewith<strong>in</strong> their jurisdiction effective protection and remedies, through thecompetent national tribunals and other State <strong>in</strong>stitutions, aga<strong>in</strong>st any acts<strong>of</strong> racial discrim<strong>in</strong>ation which violate his human rights and fundamentalfreedoms contrary to this Convention, as well as the right to seek fromsuch tribunals just and adequate reparation or satisfaction for any damagesuffered as a result <strong>of</strong> such discrim<strong>in</strong>ation.Internationally, there has been a louder and louder discussion lately onnormative regulation <strong>of</strong> “hate speech” that appears on the Internet 451 .Examples <strong>of</strong> Hate-SpeechHate-speech is largely present <strong>in</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong>n pr<strong>in</strong>t media. 452 Cases <strong>of</strong> courtprocesses aga<strong>in</strong>st the hate-speech users are very rare.On March 16 th <strong>2006</strong>, the daily GLAS JAVNOSTI (GLAS) published <strong>in</strong>its Economy section an ad headl<strong>in</strong>ed “Boycott”. 453 In the text, signed by“Persecuted Serbs”, the citizens are <strong>in</strong>vited to gather <strong>in</strong> front <strong>of</strong> the IMMOmall <strong>in</strong> New Belgrade and express their protest aga<strong>in</strong>st the open<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>the Croatian shop IDEA. 454 The reason for this action was “the Croatianboot which freely marches through <strong>Serbia</strong>n lands, buy<strong>in</strong>g companies andopen<strong>in</strong>g shops across <strong>Serbia</strong>”. 455 The ad warns that any purchase at theIDEA represents “a donation to those who killed us and evicted us fromour homes”. 456 Towards the end, the undersigned voice a clear threat:449 Ibid, Article 4450 Ibid, Article 6451 See webpage http://www.selfregulation.<strong>in</strong>fo/iapcoda/rxio-rapporteur-020923.htm, visited on November25 th , <strong>2006</strong>452 See: Media Center Pr<strong>in</strong>t Council’s Report for 2005 and <strong>2006</strong>; the reports are available at the Media Center’sweb site: http://www.mediacenter.org.yu/code/navigate.asp?Id=668, visited on November 25 th , <strong>2006</strong>; see also:reports by non-governmental organizations about hate-speech: <strong>Implementation</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Transitional</strong> <strong>Laws</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong>, YouthInitiative for Human Rights, Belgrade, 2005; Human Rights <strong>in</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong> and Montenegro, 2005, Belgrade Center for HumanRights, Belgrade, <strong>2006</strong>; Human Rights and Colelctive Identity, Hels<strong>in</strong>ki Committee for Human Rights <strong>in</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong>,Belgrade, 2005453 Boycott, GLAS JAVNOSTI, March 16 th , <strong>2006</strong>454 Ibid455 Ibid456 Ibid96
<strong>Implementation</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Transitional</strong> <strong>Laws</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong> <strong>2006</strong>“We will monitor those who purchase <strong>in</strong> this store and refuse to expresssolidarity with the hundreds <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> refugees and persecutedSerbs”, accompanied with: “STOP to Croatian occupation <strong>of</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong>” 457This advertisement made the Initiative br<strong>in</strong>g charges to the First MunicipalCourt <strong>in</strong> Belgarde to determ<strong>in</strong>e whether it was hate speech or not s<strong>in</strong>ceit considered this text as hate speech accord<strong>in</strong>g to both the <strong>in</strong>ternationaland domestic standards and that its publish<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dubitably resulted <strong>in</strong>spread<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>stigat<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>cit<strong>in</strong>g and justify<strong>in</strong>g national hatred, xenophobiaand <strong>in</strong>tolerance 458 .Both associations <strong>of</strong> journalists responded to the ad. President <strong>of</strong> theJournalists’ Association <strong>of</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong> (UNS), N<strong>in</strong>o Brajovic, said that advertis<strong>in</strong>gought to be subjected to ethical standards, and that discrim<strong>in</strong>ation opposesthe spirit <strong>of</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essional code. 459 President <strong>of</strong> the Independent Journalists’Association <strong>of</strong> <strong>Serbia</strong> (NUNS), Nadezda Gace, assessed that the ad clearlyfalls with<strong>in</strong> the def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> hate-speech, and as such should be punishednot only by pr<strong>of</strong>essional code, but also by the Law on Public Information. 460Associate <strong>of</strong> the M<strong>in</strong>ister <strong>of</strong> Trade, Srdjan Sreckovic, expressed bitterresentment, and threatened the GLAS with a punishment stipulated bythe Law on Advertis<strong>in</strong>g. 461 GLAS then <strong>in</strong>formed the public that both the<strong>of</strong>ficials <strong>of</strong> the Information Intelligence Agency (BIA) and the police hadcome to the GLAS editorial <strong>of</strong>fices and <strong>in</strong>quired about the person who hadsubmitted and paid for the ad. 462 This was the last piece <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation thepublic has heard about this case. Neither the journalists’ associations, northe responsible m<strong>in</strong>istry, nor the judiciary have undertaken the necessarymeasures to punish this example <strong>of</strong> hate-speech.Hate-speech is prohibited by the Law on Public Information and otherregulations, both domestic and <strong>in</strong>ternational. 463 Hate-speech prohibition isregulated by Article 317 <strong>of</strong> the Crim<strong>in</strong>al Code, which bans the spread<strong>in</strong>g457 Ibid458 Charges for determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g hate speech submitted to the First Municipal Court <strong>in</strong> Belgrade on April 7 th , <strong>2006</strong>can be found <strong>in</strong> Initiative’s documentations459 Condemnation <strong>of</strong> an Ad aga<strong>in</strong>st the Croatian Company, B92, March 17 th , <strong>2006</strong>, see: B92’s web site: http://www.b92.net/<strong>in</strong>fo/vesti/<strong>in</strong>dex.php?yyyy=<strong>2006</strong>&mm=03&dd=17&nav_category=12&nav_id=191877, visited onNovember 25 th , <strong>2006</strong>460 Ibid461 Srećković: the Call for Boycott<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Croatian Goods is Scandalous, GLAS JAVNOSTI, March 18 th , <strong>2006</strong>462 Ibid463 Some <strong>of</strong> the <strong>in</strong>ternational mechanisms worth mention<strong>in</strong>g are: the International Convention on Elim<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>gall Forms <strong>of</strong> Racial Discrim<strong>in</strong>ation, SFRY Official Gazetta, No. 6/67, and the Recommendation <strong>of</strong> the Council<strong>of</strong> Europe’s Committee <strong>of</strong> M<strong>in</strong>isters, No R (97) 20, adopted on October 30 th , 1997 at the 607 th meet<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>m<strong>in</strong>isters’ deputies97