18 January 2010   

REGARDING REACTION OF THE PROVINCIAL OMBUDSMAN TO THE APPLICATION OF THE CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY CONCERNING RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION EXECUTED

BY THE ADMINISTRATION ORGANS IN VOJVODINA

The Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS) acclaims the Recommendation of the Provincial ombudsman addressed to the Provincial Secretariat for Regulations, Administration and National Minorities to distribute the funds from the state budget not only to traditional, but to other registered churches and religious communities as well.

This Recommendation is a response to the application submitted on 1 August 2009 by the CDCS in which the ombudsman of the AP of Vojvodina was asked to initiate a procedure of annulment of the open competition due to religious discrimination; the competition was for distribution of the funds to churches and religious communities active in the territory of AP of Vojvodina and was published by the Provincial Secretariat for National Minorities on 20 July 2009. On this occasion the CDCS asked the competition rules to be changed so that “non-traditional” churches and religious communities could enter the competition as well. The application stated that the competition rules violated the provisions of article 6 paragraph 1 of the Law on Churches and Religious Communities which guarantee equality before the law and independency from the state for all churches and religious communities. The competition rules also violate article 6 of the Law against Discrimination which says that direct discrimination exists if due to their personal characteristics (…) a person or a group of persons is put or could be put in an unfavorable position by any act, action or failure to act.

COMMENTS OF THE CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY (CDCS) TO THE SECOND PERIODICAL REPORT ON APPLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS

Regarding exercising the rights from article 18 ICCPR

   Regarding the content of paragraphs 355-363 of the Second periodical report on application of the International covenant on civil and political rights concerning the freedom of religious beliefs with regard to exercising the rights from article 18 of the International covenant on civil and political rights, the following objections should be made:

1. Regarding the data „about the number of believers“ established in the most recent census (in 2002 and stated in paragraph 363, it should be said that the census did not include beliefs (or faith), but the confessional affiliation. It should be added that the question of religious beliefs was optional and was answered only after the census takers’ warning that it was not obligatory to answer this question. It should be borne in mind that the hate speech which could be heard in the media as well as among agnostics and of atheist, had a certain influence on answers that many believers of minority churches gave to this question.

REGARDING CONSTITUTION OF THE COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL MINORITIES

    The CDCS considers the confirmation of national holidays and symbols of national minorities, which is on the agenda of the first session of the Government of Serbia’s Council, a very important and necessary task. On the other hand, the CDCS expects the representatives of national minority councils to bring up the question of why they were ignored, contrary to current laws, when a series of laws relevant for national minorities’ rights were being adopted.

  REGARDING ESTIMATIONS OF THE STATE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN SERBIA

   
    Within its activity of monitoring of the state of religious freedom in Serbia, the Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS) would like to focus the public attention to the segments of the Annual Progress Report for Serbia published by the European Commission on 14 October as well as to the yesterday’s report of the State Department on religious freedom in Serbia.   

    The Progress Report of the European Commission notes that there is decrease in the number of religious-based incidents but also persistence of attacks on “non-traditional” religious communities. The application of the Law on Churches and Religious Communities induces arbitrary decisions regarding registration of “non-traditional” religious communities: about 170 religious communities were left unregistered. The European Commission refers in its report to estimations of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion Asma Jahangir that a number of religious communities bear a burden of discriminatory consequences of the Law on Churches and Religious Communities; she also requires that the Serbian authorities make a bigger effort to punish the perpetrators of offences.

September 04, 2009

   The Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS) admonishes the public of extremely unfavorable consequences of cut-off of certain number of classes where instruction is realized in languages of national minorities.

   Through its District Branch Office in Zrenjanin the Ministry of Education has prepared a plan of rationalization of education and cost reduction. This means merging of classes, i.e. canceling of some classes in primary schools in Zrenjanin, Mihajlovo, Novi Itebej, Mužlja and elsewhere.