U Novom Pazaru počelo suđenje za diskriminaciju nad ženama

English bellow

U Osnovnom sudu u Novom Pazaru 25. februara održano je prvo ročište po tužbi jedanaest žena protiv privrednog društva „Code Trade JNJ“, u čijem je vlasništvu restoran ‘Ras’, Pazarište, a zbog rodno i seksualno zasnovane diskriminacije koju su, kako se u tužbi navodi, pretrpele od strane vlasnika restorana zbog zabrane da 70 aktivisktinja uđu u restoran na zakazanu večeru.

Tužiteljke su organizatorke i učesnice Festivala ženskog prijateljstva koji se svake godine, od 2013., održava u organizaciji udruženja ,,Impuls” u Tutinu, a predmet ove tužbe je grubo kršenje važećih zakona i međunarodnih konvencija, ljudskih prava, sloboda i Ustava od strane uprave pomenutog restorana koje se dogodilo tokom festivala 3. avgusta 2019. Godinu i po nakon sto su podnele tužbu, u prisustvu tuženog i pravnih zastupnika, pojedinačno su se izjasnile o svemu što su pretrpele zbog zabrane ulaska u restoran i kakve bi posledice po društvo, ženski pokret, žene u Srbiji i regionu i, na kraju, po njih same, moglo da izazove takvo postupanje ukoliko ostane nekažnjeno.

Naime, u vreme održavanja šestog Fesivala ženskog prijateljstva u Tutinu, 3. avgusta 2019. godine, dva meseca ranije zakazanu večeru vlasnik restorana otkazao je uz obrazloženje ‘da je LGBT osobama zabranjen pristup u njihove objekte’. Povod za otkazivanje bio je održan protest u Tutinu na kome su aktivistkinje nosile mirovnu zastavu duginih boja što je izazvalo homofobične komentare i rekacije. Nakon otkazivanja gostoprimstva na Pazarištu, organizatorke iz udruženja ,,Impuls” Tutin i učesnice festivala iz Srbije, Bosne i Hercegovine, Crne Gore, Makedonije i SAD-a, vredjane su na društvenim mrežama, pozivano je na nasilje prema njima i gašenje festivala, te se deo njih tim povodom obratio i pravosudnim organima.

Sudski postupak koji je ovim ročištem i praktično tek počeo nije jedini pred srpskim pravosuđem koji se u vezi sa ovim događajem vode ili su se vodili.

Udruženje građana ,,Impuls” iz Tutina, uz podršku učesnica i regionalnih ženskih udruženja, podnelo je najpre pritužbu Povereniku za zaštitu ravnopravnosti. U postupku po pritužbi, to telo utvrdilo je da ‘su prekršene odredbe člana 6. u vezi sa članom 17. Zakona o zabrani diskriminacije’, a privrednom društvu „Code Trade JNJ“ naloženo je da predsednici Udruženja građana ,,Impuls’’ uputi pisano izvinjenje i o tome obavesti Poverenika. Taj nalog dat je 4. februara 2020. i trebalo je da bude izvršen u roku od 30 dana, što se nije dogodilo. Naime, taj rok je istekao u vreme izbora novog Poverenika i proglašenja pandemije COVID-19, pa je zakonom predviđema sankcija za počinjenu diskriminaciju u vidu javne opomene i obaveštenja javnosti putem medija -izostala.

Protiv lica koje je u javnom prostoru telefonom snimalo i vređalo učesnice festivala, organizatorke su podnele krivičnu prijavu, koju je najpre Osnovni sud u Tutinu odbacio, potom je žalbu na tu odluku odbio i Viši sud u Novom Pazaru, i trenutno se o ovom postupku čeka mišljenje Apelacionog suda. Takođe, o slučaju je obavešteno i Odeljenje za visoko tehnolški kriminal, kojem su dostavljeni svi podaci ali iz te službe još uvek nema reakcije.

Nakon održanog ročišta, uz jasnu poruku da su pitanja diskiminacije, ljudskih prava i sloboda izuzetno važna za budućnost društva, pozvale su javnost i medije da ,,proprate” ovaj sudski postupak i budu solidarni sa svim žrtvama svake vrste nasilja i diskriminacije u svojoj zajednici, da podrže napore ženskih organizacija u težnjama ka nultoj toleranciji na nasilje i u borbi za bolji položaj žena u Srbiji i regionu.

Da one u toj borbi neće odustati možda najbolje svedoči činjenica da su, i u izuzetno teškim i strogim pandemijskim uslovima, uspele da organizuju i sedmi Festival ženskog prijateljstva u oktobru 2020. godine. Pod sloganom ,,Solidarnost iznad svega”, trodnevni festival je održan i protekao je bez ikakvih incidenata u atmosferi solidarnosti i prijateljstva.

Izveštaj priredila Marijana Stevanović, novinarka

ENGLISH

ELEVEN ACTIVITIES OF THE FESTIVAL OF WOMEN’S FRIENDSHIP FROM TUTIN MADE STATEMENTS AT THE HEARING IN NOVI PAZAR AGAINST THE OWNERS OF THE RESTAURANT ‘RAS’ WHO REFUSED TO ADMIT THE ACTIVISTS TO DINNER AFTER A RAINBOW FLAG WAS SEEN AT THE PROTEST ORGANIZED BY IMPULS

The first hearing on the lawsuit of eleven women against the company “Code Trade JNJ”, which owns the restaurant ‘Ras’, Pazarište, was held in the Basic Court in Novi Pazar on February 25, based on gender and sex discrimination charges we, as organizers and participants of the Festival of Women’s Friendship, pressed against the restaurant owners, for banning 70 activists from entering the restaurant for a scheduled dinner.

The Festival of Women’s Friendship has been held every year since 2013 in Tutin, and organized by “IMPULS”. The subject of this lawsuit is gross violation of applicable laws and international conventions, human rights, freedoms and the Constitution by the management of the above- mentioned restaurant, which took place during the Festival on August 3, 2019.

A year and a half after filing the lawsuit, in the presence of the defendant and legal representatives, we individually testified about everything we suffered due to the ban on entering the restaurant and what consequences such treatment could provoke if it goes unpunished for society, the women’s movement, women in Serbia and the region.

Namely, during the sixth Women’s Friendship Festival in Tutin, on August 3, 2019, the restaurant owner canceled the dinner scheduled two months earlier, explaining that “LGBT people are forbidden access to their facilities.” After the refusal of hospitality in Pazarište, we, as organizers from the association “Impulse” Tutin and participants of the Festival from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and the USA, were insulted on social networks, and calls to violence against us and shutting down the Festival were posted on social networks. Therefore, a group of us addressed the judicial authorities as plaintiffs.

The court proceedings that have practically begun with this hearing are not the only ones before the Serbian judiciary that are being conducted or have been conducted in connection with this event.

Our citizens’ association “Impulse” from Tutin, with the support of participants and regional women’s associations, first submitted a complaint to the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality. In the complaint procedure, that body determined that ‘the provisions of Article 6 in connection with Article 17 of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination were violated’, and the company “Code Trade JNJ” was ordered to send in written a letter of apology to the President of the Association of Citizens “Impulse” and inform the Commissioner thereof. That order was given on February 4, 2020, and it was supposed to be executed within 30 days, which did not happen. Namely, that deadline expired at the time of the election of the new Commissioner and the proclamation of the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, for the sanction for the committed discrimination in the form of public warning and informing the public through the media provided by the Law, was not effectuated.

We also filed a criminal complaint against the person who filmed and insulted the participants of the Festival in public, which was first rejected by the Basic Court in Tutin, then the appeal against that decision was rejected by the High Court in Novi Pazar, and this procedure is currently pending, waiting for opinion of the Court of Appeal. Also, the Department for High-Tech Crime was informed about the case, to which all data have been submitted, but there is still no reaction from that service.

After the hearing, with a clear message that issues of discrimination, human rights and freedoms are extremely important for the future of society, we called on the public and the media to monitor this trial and express solidarity with all victims of all forms of violence and discrimination in their community, to support the efforts of women’s organizations in their pursuit of zero tolerance for violence and in the fight for a better position of women in Serbia and the region.

The fact that in October 2020, we managed to organize the seventh Festival of Women’s Friendship, even in extremely difficult and severe pandemic conditions, is best proof that we will not renounce to our fight. The three-day Festival of Women’s Friendship was held under the slogan “Solidarity above all”, and unfolded without any incidents in an atmosphere of solidarity and friendship.