Court finds bouncer guilty of Roma discrimination

Court finds bouncer guilty of Roma discrimination

The Court sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for two years.

The proceedings against Nikolić were initiated after three non-governmental organizations, including Budapest-based Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), Belgrade-based Minority Rights Centre (MRC) and the Humanitarian Law Centre (HLC), filed a criminal complaint in October 2003.

The plaintiffs, Petar and Ljutvija Antić, made several attempts to enter the Acapulco club, but each time security guards told them that either a reservation or a member card was needed in order to gain access.

“This prompted the HLC and MRC to conduct a situational test on July 25, 2003 to prove beyond reasonable doubt the existence of discrimination against Roma regarding their right to access public places,” the Humanitarian Law Center said in a statement.

“We have assembled two teams for the test, the first one composed of the Roma, and the second team consisting of non-Roma individuals,” Sandra Orlović, lawyer with the HLC said.

“All of them were neatly dressed and the only visible difference between them was their skin color. They all acted in an acceptable manner during the test and did nothing to prompt or provoke the guards."

"The Roma group was denied access on grounds of not having made reservations beforehand, while only minutes after the guards let the second non-Roma group without any questions whatsoever,” she explained.

The Court’s ruling states that such acts constitute for a criminal act of violation of the right to equal treatment for all citizens, and represent a clear-cut case of racial discrimination.