The Belgrade Pride 2011 march, which was planned to take place on Sunday 2 October, has been banned by the Serbian National Security Council according the news website B92.

Find here the open letter from ILGA-Europe regarding Belgrade Pride 2011 to Boris Tadić, President of the Republic of Serbia, Mirko Cvetković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, Minister of Internal Affairs, Milan Marković, Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government and Dragan Đilas, Major of Belgrade.

Belgrade Pride is scheduled to take place on 2 October 2011. ILGA-Europe is calling on its members and partners to support this event.

The organisers of Belgrade Pride 2011 have announced today that the Pride Parade will take place on the 2 October. In 2010, Belgrade Pride was held with success which partly was due to adequate police protection and support from the Serbian authorities. This year prominent politicians have questioned whether the police should protect the pride march - these statements will endanger the safety of the event.

Reporting and monitoring are crucial to raise awareness within national and European institutions, among law enforcement officers and the public. Hence, developing a reporting and monitoring strategy is a prerequisite for an efficient advocacy to call on policy makers to adopt laws and implement policies against violence.

The European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT rights, together with ILGA-Europe, expressed their true concerns following the cancellation of the Belgrade Pride this weekend.

On Sunday the 20th of September, Belgrade Pride will take place, and ILGA-Europe is sending two representatives to support and monitor the Pride.

ILGA-Europe fully supports the LGBT community in Serbia in their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Our representatives will also attend Belgrade Pride on 20 September 2009.

ILGA-Europe recieved this sad news from Gay Straight Alliance in Serbia concerning two incidents of violence on LGBT people in Belgrade.

by DEVE (Serbia)

This joint-letter from ILGA-Europe and IGLHRC to the Government of Serbia adressing the concerns that both organisations have about the climate for LGBT in Serbia.

Read the letter in PDF below.

Today the National Assembly of Serbia has adopted a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, banning discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or other factors.

This joint-letter was sent after ILGA-Europe and IGLHRC learned that a comprehensive draft law to combat discrimination was withdrawn from parliamentary consideration on March 4, 2009 due to pressure from the Serbian Orthodox Church and other conservative religious groups, despite support from human rights and other civil society groups.

Read the letter in English and Serbian in PDF below

by Labris (Serbia)