Human Rights Action (HRA) condemns the assault of members of the sports fan group “Varvari” (Barbarians) on the film director Danilo Marunović and actor Todor Vujošević, authors of the video spot against homophobia “We are part of the team”, and their friend Mirko Bošković, which took place early Monday morning in Podgorica.

We emphasise that victims of this violence were artists who had been defending the human right to freedom from discrimination and who were therefore savagely attacked.

The attack on them is an attack on the foundations of the constitutional order in Montenegro, proclaimed as democratic and protective of human rights.

If it turns out that the non-governmental organization “Varvari” (Barbarians) is behind the attack and that it supports the hatred that led to the attack, we expect of the competent authorities, the Ombudsman and the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, in accordance with their constitutional powers, to propose to the Constitutional Court prohibition of any further activities of that organisation.

This terrible incident is an ultimate warning. We expect the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to review previous NGOs proposal to amend the Criminal Code, and prescribe more severe punishments for any crime motivated by racism and intolerance towards sexual and other minorities – so called “hate crime”, as it has been recommended to Montenegro by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in the report from February 21, 2012. 

We expect of the competent prosecutors and the police to thoroughly investigate this crime and ensure appropriate punishment. Montenegro must not tolerate savagery that treads human rights.