Belgrade, June 20th 2023 – The High Prosecutorial Office made a decision on June 19th 2023 about the selection of public prosecutors and with it undermined the already achieved level of protection afforded to victims of violence in Belgrade, which is especially worrisome considering the context and timing when it’s taking place.
The newly formed High Prosecutorial Office – established with questionable legality of how the selection process was conducted – failed its first task and showed that it doesn’t give priority to protecting victims’ rights, or to fighting increasing and devastating levels of violence in Serbia.
The fact that Gorjana Micic Calukovic was not selected as a public prosecutor at the High Prosecutorial Office in Belgrade automatically means the elimination of the Coordinator for Gender Based Violence post, and will set back the work of Assistance and Support Services intended for victims of violence which were formed on her initiative and with her support – at the Higher but also at all six basic lower public prosecutorial offices in Belgrade.
It’s a regrettable fact that currently on the whole territory of Serbia there are no public prosecutors who have the knowledge, skills, and strength of will that Gorjana Mircic Calukovic has in this regard, and who could take over where she left off. The context this is happening in makes their decision even more troubling – two of the most monstrous mass murders happened this year, taking the lives of ten children and eight youths and adults, and where at least 17 women, two girls and two boys have been murdered in a family-partner context.If you want to support our Press Release with your signature you can do it on this link.
Signatories:
- Autonomous Women’s Center
- Organization for Support for Women with Disabilities …OUT OF CIRCLE – VOJVODINA
- European Movement Serbia
- Youth Initiative for Human Rights
- Civic Initiatives
- Association of Women Sandglass
- Women’s Center Uzice
- Sadija Gicic, feminist social worker
- Center for Applied European Studies - CPES
- Center for Moms
- Femix
- Mirjana Tejic, feminist lawyer
- Bosiljka Dikanovic
- Women for Peace
- Natalija Zumic, sociologist, Women’s Research Center, Nis
- Nadezda Radovic
- Jovana Gligorijevic, Vreme/Time, Journalists against Violence
- Tamara Vukasovic
- Masa Mileusnic, Journalists against Violence
- Danica Dokic, Journalists against Violence
- Impuls, Tutin
- Jovana Netkovic, Journalists against Violence
- Olivera Ilkic, activist for the rights of women with disabilities
- Ljiljana Stevkovic
- Feminist Collective Women’s Solidarity
- Marina Pancic
- Mira Marjanovic
- Office for Consulting and Management Capital Novi Sad
- Forum of Women Prijepolje
- Mileva Malesic, CEO of TV Forum, Journalists against Violence
- Ana Isakovic
- SOS Vlasotince
- Natalija Micunovic
- Vesna Sijacki
- Branislava Opranovic, journalist
- Lina Vuskovic
- Tanja Dordevic, “Street Drummer”
- Tanja Grgic – association “Successful Women of Kostolac”
- Branka Radojevic, Association for Alternative Family Care of Children
- Olivera Milos Todorovic, SkockART, Journalists against Violence
