In the past month, the number of cases of violence and attacks against LGBT people in Serbia is reported to have increased as well as the intensity of the expressing negative attitude and hatred and the willingness for organized oppression towards LGBTs is shown to be greater than before.

We would like to inform you briefly on the latest homophobic harassments that have mostly happened in Belgrade and Zrenjanin.

On June, 24th 2004 Labris, a lesbian group from Belgrade, started a media campaign "Zivele razlièitosti" (Long live diversities). The campaign included stickers, cards, and other materials along with two radio jingles which were supported, among the others, by two local radio stations in Zrenjanin. The two Zrenjanin radio stations "Kojot"
and "Zrenjanin" sponsored free broadcasting of the jingles in their program, as a response to the invitation to join the campaign that local lesbian and gay group Taboo had sent them. (Taboo is an informal group gathering several lesbians and gay men from Zrenjanin.)

The first reaction to the Labris' campaign started in Zrenjanin when the anti-campaign was announced by the local branch of the extreme nationalistic and pro-fascistic group "OBRAZ". The news on starting the anti-campaign was released by the news agency BETA, on July 15th. In the press release it was stated, in addition to other things, that: "(OBRAZ) would like to point out that the existence and activities of organizations protecting rights of homosexuals and other non-blessed creatures finally show us what Europe, New World Order and Soros' Open civil society can offer to us". It was announced that the campaign "Better safe than sorry" (the literal translation would be "Better to prevent than to cure") was to include posters and public statements, and finally "if it happened that gay pride parade,
or anything like that, is organized in our town we will try to stop it, so that Serbian family and the name of Serbia do not get dirty".

Concerning this campaign, an open letter to the members of the Government is written and sign by eight LGBT organizations in Serbia. (the letter can be found on www.belgradepride.org)

Several days before the anti-gay campaign was announced, posters with two matched male symbols and two matched female symbols, all crossed as forbidden signs, and with the text "Better to prevent than to cure" appeared in several cities in Serbia. Also, there was a mobile telephone number written on the posters, without any explanation of its meaning, as if it was a discreet call for reporting ones who are to be "treated".

In the same time the attacks and maltreatments upon gays and lesbians started in Belgrade and Zrenjanin. The first reported attack happened on July 7th, when Abdel-Latif Hamad, the editor of the only gay magazine "Decko" was severely beaten in the street in front of the café where the gay party was just about to be finished. This attack
was the only one reported to the police. You can find a more detailed report on this on www.gay.org.yu (there are translations in several languages).

As it is unofficially known, physical attacks still happen continuously in Belgrade every day, but, due to the people's fear to report the attack to the police, the exact number of the attacks remains unknown.

Whereas there are many gay people in Belgrade, so when they get attacked they stay unidentified, there is only one lesbian activist in Zrenjanin, whose identity is known to people from OBRAZ and other anti-gay groups, and who has being threatened in the last weeks.

Starting from July 13th she has received threatening e-mails, the first containing a picture: the text in the picture: "For the king and homeland – Freedom or Death"

Then, she started to receive SMS messages similar to this one: "Hey, babe, tell me where you are, if we're in the same place, you can get what you want"

But, except for being rather annoying and unpleasant to know that your personal e-mail address and telephone number is known to people from Obraz, it could all seem benign until more direct threats.

In the morning of July 21st graffiti was found on the wall of the house where the office of Zrenjanin educational centre, a feministic group, is placed. It was written: "For Serbia with no fags" and "Fags are not humans"

Although the information had been denied even before it was released, it was stated in the media that those graffiti were written on the house where lesbian activists gather. (Labris has released a statement you can find on their web site: www.womenngo.org.yu/labris).

Concerning this event an article was published in the local newspaper, the Zrenjanin, that has provoked a discussion on their site (only in the Serbian language: www.zrenjanin.org/new_comm.php? cl_id=11926&t_nasl=FAŠISTIÈKE%20PAROLE) The discussion was, actually, directed to more general issue of (not) accepting gays and lesbians in the society. Nevertheless, in many of the anti-gay replies, posted to the discussion page, direct threats upon the lesbian activist, J. M. (her full name is not mentioned for the security measure) were
pronounced. Several times there were attempts to make her name public, but a moderator of the discussion erased those. Also several times she was threatened that her name was to be given either to Obraz members (which were referred to as doctors, making an allusion to the name of the Obraz campaign) or to her family. In both situations
her safety would be endangered. Finally, she was threatened to be caught and beaten.

In addition, the mentioned women's group, Zrenjanin educational centres (ZEC), which, by accepting lesbians' rights as a part of women's rights, should be supportive to J. M. acts in opposition. It is not only that ZEC did not react to this kind of violence, but, they would like not to be connected to any lesbian issue, so that they wouldn't lose their funder (!) or get attacked.

J. M. is still threatened; and also she is the only person in Zrenjanin that Obraz could find to demonstrate the hate and power on.

Email received from Marija Sabanovic, LAMBDA, LGBT Human Rights and Queer Culture Center - Nis, Serbia and
Montenegro