Institute for European Affairs is condemning a smear media campaign against Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) and their director Anita Mitić. The campaign led by Informer newspapers is the consequence of the silence of institution regarding attack to YIHR’s activists that happened on January 17th at debate organised by Serbian Progressive Party in Beska, where convicted war criminal Veselin Sljivancanin spoke.
Media attacks started after Serbian Progressive Party called activists of YIHR fascists, Minister of Interior Affairs Nebojsa Stefanovic missed an opportunity to condemn the violence, and Prime Minister Vucic asserted the fact that the donors of YIHR are foreign governments more than the fact that activists were attacked.
Today’s cover page of Informer with accusations and lies about Youth Initiative for Human Rights and Anita Mitić is inappropriate in a democratic society. Ordered attacks like this one are targeting individuals and making them legitimate target of violence.
Regarding this, we invite the Prosecutors Office, Police Department, Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media and Press Council to react, and organisation of civil society to carefully monitor work of media and institutions in times when the freedom of speech is endangered, and the human rights defenders are targeted.
There is no place in Serbia for hate speech towards political opponents, targeting them, justifying violence and glorification of war criminals. Institute for European Affairs will always fight against Serbia becoming country where violence is acceptable, human rights granted just to a small privileged group, and war criminals are proclaimed heroes. Institute for European Affairs is once again strongly condemning attack to activists of Youth Initiative for Human Rights and planned media attacks to organisation’s director Anita Mitic.
