Amnesty International prior to Sarajevo Queer festival
Media release issues by Amnesty International on 25 September 2008.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/fears-violence-surround-sarajevo-queer-festival
The first Sarajevo Queer Festival is planned to take place between 24 and 28 September 2008. Organized by a non-governmental organization called Udruženje Q, the festival of art and culture will include exhibitions, performances, public discussions and films.
However, in the run-up to the festival, some politicians and certain parts of the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina have unleashed a homophobic campaign. It is feared that this may incite violence around the event.
Many publications, including the popular Dnevni Avaz newspaper and the magazine SAFF, have used derogatory language in relation to lesbian and gay people. Death threats have been issued on the Internet against individual gay rights activists.
A number of websites have called for the organizers of the festival to be lynched, stoned, doused with petrol or expelled from the country. Appeals have also been made to the public to disrupt the festival.
"We do not feel safe for ourselves or for our families. Some of us had to find new accommodation because our names and addresses were made publicly known. We are afraid to use public transport or go out alone. Our dogs are our best protection at the moment. We feel isolated," an Udruženje Q activist told Amnesty International.
Amnesty International has strongly condemned the use of homophobic language by the media and politicians and calls for them to play a constructive role in dismantling prejudices.
Amnesty International has said that the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina must guarantee a climate free of intimidation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as they prepare for the festival.
