Podgorica, 14 May 2021 – To mark the start of the International Week Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT 2021) in Montenegro, a public discussion on the responses to hate speech and hate crimes will take place on 17 May 2021, from 10:00 to 12:00 in Podgorica.
The event co-hosted by the Council of Europe, the European Union, the Ministry of Interior and the NGO Queer Montenegro will be held on-line, via Zoom platform and will focus on the to hate speech and hate crimes in Montenegro. During the event, two new tools for the police force in Montenegro will be presented: the Local Manual for Training Police Officers to work with LGBTI persons, and the Montenegrin-language version of the Council of Europe Manual Policing Hate Crime against LGBTI persons. These tools are meant to help the local authorities better address the problem of hate speech and crime, in line with European standards. In January 2021, five police officers have already completed a “train-the-trainers” programme and are ready to help their peers across Montenegro acquire the necessary skills in the coming months. These officers will receive certificates during the event.
The opening remarks will be given by:
• Sergej Sekulovic, Minister of Internal Affairs of Montenegro
• Sinisa Bjekovic, Ombudsperson of Montenegro
• H.E. Oana-Cristina Popa, Ambassador of the European Union in the Republic of Montenegro (TBC)
• Evgenia Giakoumoupolou, Head of Operations, Council of Europe Office in Podgorica
The panel and discussion will be moderated by Danijel Kalezic, Executive Director of Queer Montenegro.
The online presentation and the debate involving various institutions and civil society organisations will begin at 10:00 AM and are open to the media. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, media will be able to follow it through a video link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83945699449. Interpretation from English to Montenegrin will be provided.
The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia was created in 2004 to draw the attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex people. The IDAHOT week 2021 in Montenegro is supported by the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Unit of the Council of Europe, and is part of the action on ‘Promotion of diversity and equality in Montenegro’, under the EU-COE programmatic framework Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey
Calendar of activities IDAHOT Week 2021 in Montenegro
For more information contact:
Marija Simic, Communication Officer: email: marija.simic@coe.int / Mob: +381 63 601 337
PR centar Montenegro: mob:+38269100175
