Thursday, 2 July 2015 10:08

32nd Sitting of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality

At the sitting held on 2 July, the members of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality formulated the conclusion proposals on the reviewed Commissioner for Protection of Equality 2014 Regular Annual Report, Ombudsman’s 2014 Regular Annual Report and the Report on the implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance and the Law on Personal Data Protection in 2014.


The Committee members discussed the reports and made suggestions, after which they unanimously adopted them and forwarded them to the National Assembly for consideration.

Under item any other business, the Committee members were briefed on the initiative of the group of six MPs of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina Parliamentary Group to have a sitting to discuss the proposal of the group of NGOs to declare 11 July remembrance day for the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica. The initiative was explained by Olena Papuga, signatory and Committee member, saying that the MPs of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina Parliamentary Group are aware that neither the Committee nor the National Assembly can do so, since it would require amendments to the law regulating the field, but that this is an opportunity to discuss the topic.

Committee member Zlata Djeric reminded her fellow MPs that on 31 March 2010 the National Assembly had adopted a Declaration Condemning the Crime in Srebrenica. She also reminded them of the Serb victims and urged her fellow Committee members, when remembering victims, to remember their own. She opined that the National Assembly had made a huge step forward by adopting the Declaration and urging for the condemnation of all crimes and all criminals, remembering one’s own victims, which the National Assembly had done by passing the Declaration condemning the crimes committed against the Serb people and the citizens of Serbia.

Committee Chairman Meho Omerovic stressed that the Committee never avoided discussing any topic, sensitive ones included. What the Committee can and has to do is stick to the Rules of Procedure, and initiatives are there to be presented to the Committee members. Chairman Omerovic also explained the mechanisms and procedures for declaring a date remembrance day. “When it comes to human lives and human rights, this Committee is ready to talk because none of us, I am sure, is ready to differentiate among the victims based on their religious beliefs or nationality, because a victim is a victim and a criminal is a criminal and has a name”, said Omerovic.

Committee member Olena Papuga added that the initiative comes from MPs living in Vojvodina which is a multinational area, and stressed that maybe the date should be a remembrance day for all the victims which where the focused of attention should be.

The Committee Chairman also briefed the Committee members on the continued regional cooperation saying that the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina had recently set up its working bodies and announcing a meeting with the colleagues from the region in September to discuss human rights, which is the correct way to reconciliation in the region.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Meho Omerovic.


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friday, 29 march
  • 9.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

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