Threatening an intellectual with jail because he has put his
signature under a petition is impermissible in a democratic society
- freedoms of speech and expression cannot be subject to
arbitrariness by the police even though their highest in authority
is also a deputy-premier.
A hue and cry the media raised about the article
penned by Montenegrin writer Adrej Nikolaidis and consequent
persecution of Sreten Ugricic indicate much deeper motives behind
these lynch calls. Such stigmatization of "foreign and domestic
enemies" associates 1990s.
Such a scenario only fuels nationalistic hysteria
and xenophobia aimed at a ban on any public criticism in the
upcoming election campaign - to all appearances, an unscrupulous
one.
The House of Human Rights and Democracy demands
the government to respect fundamental freedoms it declaratively
advocates. We also insist that Minister of Culture and Information
Predrag Markovic brings into the open his opinion about Mr.
Ugricic's deposal that was scandalous by all means.
Finally we call upon the Public Prosecutor to have
his say about this case for he is duty-bound to act against hate
speech and any abuse of the freedom of expression. Unless the Public
Prosecutor takes legal action we demand the government to urgently
withdraw its shameful decision on Mr. Ugricic's deposal. |