The public appearances of the candidate proposed by the parliamentary group of the ruling party in recent years raise the question of his ability to perform the function of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality according to the principles of independence, according to NGOs.
Non-governmental organizations announced the election of Milan Antonijević as the new Commissioner for the Protection of Equality.
Namely, a group of 26 non-governmental organizations for the protection of human rights assessed that the approach used in the selection procedure was new Commissioner for the Protection of Equality undermined the credibility of the institution key to the fight against discrimination and reduced its capacity to independently and effectively protect the human rights of all citizens of Serbia.
That is why non-governmental organizations are asking from Assembly of Serbia to cancel the previous procedure, return it to the beginning and implement a new, fully transparent and participatory process, with the involvement of civil society organizations and other relevant actors, with an adequate time frame that ensures real competition and the selection of the best candidate.
“The manner in which the election procedure was carried out, the absence of involvement of the general public and relevant actors, as well as a series of steps that deviated from the expected standards, indicates that the state was not directed towards a transparent and inclusive process, but towards the control of the procedure itself, thus missing the opportunity to strengthen the mission and credibility of this independent institution”, stated in the statement of non-governmental organizations.
It was pointed out that the deadline of only eight days, of which several days were weekends and national holidays, did not allow for quality consultations or consideration of a larger number of candidates.
“One gets the impression that the goal of the parliament Of Serbia which implements the entire procedure was not to ensure the selection of the best candidate, but only to fulfill the minimum formal obligation”, it was stated.
Civil society organizations particularly emphasized the political context of the mentioned process, since the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality is one of the key independent institutions.
“Unlike other election procedures, which often dragged on or were carried out with delays of several months, this process was carried out extremely quickly and without real space for public discussion. Such speed indicates a clear political intention to bring this institution under direct influence.” authorities“, assessed non-governmental organizations.
They pointed out that the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination stipulates that the candidate must meet high moral standards and enjoy public trust.
“Although two of the three proposed candidates meet the formal requirements of expertise and experience, the statements and public appearances of the candidate proposed by the parliamentary group”Aleksandar Vučić “Serbia must not stand still” in recent years has raised the question of his ability to perform his duties in accordance with the principles of independence, political impartiality and equal treatment of all citizens without discrimination,” the non-governmental organizations stated.
The signatories of the request are non-governmental organizations: Balkans Forward Foundation, Belgrade Center for Human Rights Group “IZAĐI”, NGO Praxis, Civic Initiatives, Trag Foundation, BalkanIDEA Novi Sad, Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia, Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights YUCOM, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Autonomous Women’s Center – AŽC, Association Da se zna!, Initiative A 11, Network of the Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (CHRIS), Užice Center for Children’s Rights, Belgrade Pride, Music Art Project, Center for Youth Integration, Ecological Organization EcoSync, Association of Citizens to Fight Human Trafficking and All Forms of Violence Against Women of Athens, Initiative for the Rights of Persons with Mental Disabilities MDRI-Sm Okular, Association “Miona” Aleksandrovac, Group for Children and Youth “Indigo” and Psychosocial Innovation Network – PIN.
Source: Vreme
