The Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS) would like to share its joy with everybody who feels the same at more than successful opening for signature of the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. According to the news coming from the United Nations, representatives of more than 80 countries put their signatures on the very first day and it could be expected that it will be ratified by sufficient number of countries in a short time so that it could soon come into force.

   The President of the Board of Christian Adventist Church, Mr. Miodrag Živanović, has sent an open letter to the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister of Serbia as well as to two Ministers. In his letter Mr. Živanović draw the attention to the latest attacks on Adventists which took place in Sombor, Stapar and Kikinda.

  On 22 November 2006 the daily «Danas» reports that the president of the municipality of Pirot, Mr. Vladan Vasić, MSc, described the publishing of the text in the weekly “Sloboda”, whose founder is the municipality of Pirot, where the Jehovah’s Witness religious community was mentioned in a praiseworthy context, as “a serious incident” and “problematic promotion of sects in a newspaper of public character”. Mr. Vasic added: “We will insist on the cause of this incident and ask the responsible people in the administration organs to suggest the way of solving this problem”.

   The Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS) strongly condemns the content of the television program “Ključ” broadcasted on 16 October 2006 on the RTS. The right of the citizens to choose their religious affiliation was denied in the program with no reaction of the editor whatsoever, while the characteristics and behavior of the Protestant and South Asian religious communities were shown in an untruthful manner. Not only were the constitutional provisions which guarantee freedom of religion thus violated, but also the provisions of the Law on Churches and Religious Communities.

   Implementing the conclusions of the Initiative Board of nongovernment organizations of Vojvodina reached on 3 October 2006, the Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS), expresses its serious concern about behavior of the authorities of the Republic of Serbia as well as of the public services controlled by them regarding the processes of changing the Constitution of the Republic and solution on the status of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

   In this regard the CDCS is pointing to a rapid spread of anti-Albanian mood, a directed mobilization of public opinion on ethno-nationalistic basis and divisions between the citizens according to their ethnic belonging.