The Humanitarian Law Center strongly condemns the statement made by the Vice-President of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Nemanja Zavišić, claiming that “all Croats are Ustashas” The statement, which Zavišić shared on his Facebook profile, constitutes hate speech and a violation of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination, incites hostility, and stigmatizes an entire community.
It is particularly concerning that such a message comes from a high-ranking provincial official, who should be responsible for protecting the equality of citizens and contributing to the preservation of interethnic trust.
The Humanitarian Law Center recalls that between 1991 and 1995, a campaign of intimidation and pressure was carried out against the Croatian population in the territory of AP Vojvodina, with the aim of forcing them to leave their homes and depart from Serbia. This campaign resulted in the expulsion of several tens of thousands of Croats from Vojvodina.
Today, around 32,500 Croats live in Vojvodina, accounting for approximately 1.9 percent of the population. For this reason, the targeting and collective labeling of members of this community is particularly unacceptable.
It is precisely the Assembly, as the highest authority of AP Vojvodina, that adopted a Declaration on 27 February 2004 calling on all citizens who had been forced to leave Vojvodina to return, with guarantees of security, equality, and protection of their rights.
Statements that spread ethnic hatred are in direct contradiction to that Declaration, as well as to the fundamental principles of human rights protection and the rule of law.
The Humanitarian Law Center calls on the competent institutions to publicly condemn this statement and take measures against hate speech in the public sphere.
