The Government of Serbia must review the decision on Serbia’s boycott of the Nobel Peace Price ceremony and immediately instruct its Ambassador in Norway to attend the award ceremony. The Nobel Peace Prize is this year awarded to a Chinese dissident imprisoned for his years-long advocacy of human rights, just like the organisations, which have signed this statement and which have been focussing on advancing human rights in our country for over a decade, disseminating the culture of human rights, equality and respect of every individual in our society notwithstanding his or her political, religious, ethnic or other features. The decision by Serbia’s leadership demonstrates its lack of understanding of contemporary international relations, its scorn of human rights, the primacy it gives to blackmail over the values acknowledged across the world, whereby it ranks Serbia among countries which do not realise that the respect and improvement of human rights is the legacy of the contemporary, modern-day societies which Serbia, too, belongs to. Admiration of economic and military power and cynicism towards human rights risk to push Serbia back into the company of rogue and unprincipled countries.
We are of the view that the Government of Serbia must review the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Minister who heads it and notify the public of the actions it has undertaken.
Belgrade Centre for Human Rights
Policy Centre
Humanitarian Law Centre
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights
Civic initiatives
