Fascist Graffiti and Molotov Cocktail against a Muslim Family in Palic

Press release

Belgrade, April 24, 2008.

Less than two weeks ago, the RTV B92 and some newspapers in Serbia carried the Helsinki Committee's information about fascist graffiti on Zijad Kulovic's house in Palic. Since neither the police nor local authorities reacted to the incident, Republican Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic visited the Kulovic family soon after the information reached him. Thanks to Mr. Jankovic, the graffiti were wiped out and the police promised to track down perpetrators.

Late last night a Molotov cocktail was hurled at Zijad Kulovic's house. Today Mr. Kujovic and his son Samir informed the Helsinki Committee about this latest, more violent assault, which they had immediately reported to the police. The Committee, for its part, informed the office of the Republican Ombudsman about new developments.

The Helsinki Committee appeals to all governmental bodies and political parties to take adequate measures against the outburst of nationalistic violence that usually intensifies during election campaigns. The Committee warns that this is not about an isolated case and that hate speech and gatherings promoting fascism and clerical nationalism that go unpunished jeopardize human rights of all citizens of Serbia, but especially of those coming from minority communities, and at the same time destabilize the state and take it further away from an European future.

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia