Organizers: Everything ready for Belgrade gay parade

BELGRADE Organizers of Belgrade Pride say that everything is ready for the gay parade on October 6 - and that should it be banned, other events would go ahead. "Belgrade Pride is ready and as far as we're concerned, we could start tomorrow," Goran Miletic of the organizing committee told a meeting with a group of Nis-based NGOs that support the event. Organizers: Everything ready for Belgrade gay parade Miletic said that almost all guests from abroad had confirmed their participation, while Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic will one day before the planned parade receive the Swedish minister for the EU, the EP special rapporteur for the Balkans, and a group of European parliamentarians - who will all travel to Belgrade on account of the parade. "For the first time this year some institutions are also open for cooperation, so we heard from the Serbian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights," he noted. The gay parade is planned to be only one segment of the five-day Pride Week, that should also offer exhibitions, debates and fashion shows. Also on Monday, the organizers called on PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic and Defense Minister Aleksandar Vucic to say what actions the police had undertaken thus far in order to ensure security for the duration of Belgrade Pride. "They are entirely under obligation to without any delay implement measures against those who represent a security threat. In line with the decision of the Constitutional Court of Serbia and the European Court for Human Rights, such measures can in no way include the banning of Belgrade Pride." They also demanded that the police speed up their investigation into the attack some ten days ago against two men near a gay club in Belgrade, and arrest the perpetrators. "Considering that this was a typical hate crime, Belgrade Pride is once again demanding the urgent launching of procedure to change the Criminal Code so that this legal act can envisage a special criminal act of hate crime, and the processing of all those who made threats during Pride 2011 and who are making threats during the preparations for Pride 2012," said the statement. Tanjug

Organizers: Everything ready for Belgrade gay parade

Miletić said that almost all guests from abroad had confirmed their participation, while Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić will one day before the planned parade receive the Swedish minister for the EU, the EP special rapporteur for the Balkans, and a group of European parliamentarians - who will all travel to Belgrade on account of the parade.

"For the first time this year some institutions are also open for cooperation, so we heard from the Serbian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights," he noted.

The gay parade is planned to be only one segment of the five-day Pride Week, that should also offer exhibitions, debates and fashion shows.

Also on Monday, the organizers called on PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić and Defense Minister Aleksandar Vučić to say what actions the police had undertaken thus far in order to ensure security for the duration of Belgrade Pride.

"They are entirely under obligation to without any delay implement measures against those who represent a security threat. In line with the decision of the Constitutional Court of Serbia and the European Court for Human Rights, such measures can in no way include the banning of Belgrade Pride."

They also demanded that the police speed up their investigation into the attack some ten days ago against two men near a gay club in Belgrade, and arrest the perpetrators.

"Considering that this was a typical hate crime, Belgrade Pride is once again demanding the urgent launching of procedure to change the Criminal Code so that this legal act can envisage a special criminal act of hate crime, and the processing of all those who made threats during Pride 2011 and who are making threats during the preparations for Pride 2012," said the statement.