All of us who remember the victims of the war waged on the territory of former Yugoslavia during the nineties should be concerned over the recent political provocation at a football match between Serbia and Albania in Belgrade, as well as the reaction in Montenegro to this event in the form of affray of students in Tuzi, stoning of the Albanian Embassy in Podgorica, the cover page of daily Informer containing hate speech etc.

HRA urges all citizens to preserve their common sense and recognise the provocations manifested through striving towards the so-called Great Albania as the work and attitudes of individuals, and not the official position of the state of Albania or position of all Albanians in Albania, as well as those who are citizens of Montenegro. On the other hand, bearing in mind the front page of daily Informer from Thursday, we recall that the use of the name “Šiptar” for the Albanians, who are a minority in Montenegro, has a derogatory connotation and that it was considered as such already in the former Yugoslavia. We noticed that out of all Serbian and Montenegrin print media, only Informer used this derogatory term and on its cover page. Such actions obviously intent to incite nationalist passions on both sides and contribute to new conflicts in the Balkans and therefore must be promptly condemned.

Bearing in mind that the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the early nineties actually began with incidents at football and basketball matches, and then spread into hate speech in the media, we urge the Public Prosecutor’s Office not to forget today, as it had forgotten during the nineties, that the Criminal Code prescribes the criminal offense of Causing national, race and religious hatred, and that it serves to prohibit incitement and fomenting of hatred which sooner or later leads to violence with serious consequences.

Therefore, we believe that the state prosecution should take a clear position that this and similar hate speech, as well as any further provocation and manifestation of hatred will be prosecuted without exception as a criminal offense under Article 370 of the Criminal Code, and that the political provocation in Belgrade – whistling to the Albanian anthem and descending of the flag of the so-called Great Albania on the football field should be punished in the same manner.

HRA team