Croatian priest sentenced over anti-gay remarks
28/03/2011
Submitted by
ILGA-Europe
Original source: http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n245533
A Croatian priest was given a three-month suspended jail sentence for hate speech he had published on his blog about Belgrade's 2010 Gay Pride violence, a court said on Friday, AFP reports.
Franjo Jurcevic, parish priest in Kastav, just near the northern port of Rijeka, was found guilty for inciting to discrimination of gay people and sentenced on one year probation, a Rijeka court spokeswoman told AFP.
The verdict was pronounced in January and it became final as he did not appeal it, Sandra Juranovic said.
If the priest does not repeat the criminal act within a year he would not have to go to jail, she explained.
Last October the first Gay Pride parade in Serbia in almost 10 years was marked by violent clashes between police and some 6,000 anti-gay rioters, who were mainly ultra-nationalists and football fans.
The clashes left 150 people injured, mostly police officers.
A Croatian priest was given a three-month suspended jail sentence for hate speech he had published on his blog about Belgrade's 2010 Gay Pride violence, a court said on Friday, AFP reports.
Franjo Jurcevic, parish priest in Kastav, just near the northern port of Rijeka, was found guilty for inciting to discrimination of gay people and sentenced on one year probation, a Rijeka court spokeswoman told AFP.
The verdict was pronounced in January and it became final as he did not appeal it, Sandra Juranovic said.
If the priest does not repeat the criminal act within a year he would not have to go to jail, she explained.
Last October the first Gay Pride parade in Serbia in almost 10 years was marked by violent clashes between police and some 6,000 anti-gay rioters, who were mainly ultra-nationalists and football fans.
The clashes left 150 people injured, mostly police officers.
