Belgrade, Serbia - Non-governmental organisations are calling on Boris Tadic to ditch the new Church Law.
Various organisations believe that Serbian President Boris Tadic should not sign the law, recently adopted by the Serbian Parliament, which was passed regardless of many European institutions stating their disapproval of its contents.
“Many of the organisations included, actively participated in your presidential campaign, and we are asking you to not give in to the pressures of these times and we expect you to refuse to sign the law.” the statement addressed to Tadic reads.
The letter was signed by the Women in Black, the Centre for the Development of Peace and Democracy, the Institute of Parallel Law, the Committee of Attorneys for Human Rights, the Citizens’ Initiative, the Centre for Cultural Decontamination, the Helsinki Human Rights Council, the Voice of Difference and the Feminist 94 organisation.
“The civil and democratic people of Serbia believe that you are able to show a lack of compromise in the defence of the Serbian constitutional order and are ready to offer you every possible support in your efforts towards the European perspective of this country.” according to the statement.
The letter states that the Church and Religious Communities Law seriously brings into question the secular character of Serbia, and that is contradictory to the constitutional guarantees of human rights and supports the powers in Serbia trying to bring it back to the medieval ages, definitively furthering Serbia from its European perspective.