They say that the time for “false promises and silent support from an ambush is over, and that the Government of Montenegro will have to roll up its sleeves and fulfill the duties it has towards its citizens.”

“Every May 17 is marked the International Day of the Fight against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, and this year, too, Montenegro is not recording progress in this field that it could be proud of. This is confirmed by the Rainbow Map and the Trans Rights Map, published by one of the largest international organizations in the field of human rights, ILGA-Europe and TGEU,” said the Spektra Association. 

They say that they are disappointed, but, as they say, not surprised, by the lack of courage and political will of the Montenegrin state institutions, which consistently ignore the issue of human rights on this day, as every day of the year, and stand by their citizens exclusively declaratively.

“Although, at least statistically, Montenegro has been fighting for the position of leader in the region and Europe for the last half decade with its regulations, the current stagnation has led to the fact that every year we are faced with lower and lower places on the scale, so the long-ago eighth place in 2022, without dedicated work, Montenegro is waving from 19th place. In order to improve the legal and political situation of LGBTI people in Montenegro, ILGA-Europe recommends ensuring a procedure for legal recognition of gender identity based on self-determination, freedom of assembly at public events without state obstruction and with sufficient state protection, and the safety of activists for the human rights of LGBTI persons,” states Spectra.

On the other hand, they add, the Trans Rights Map indicates that Montenegro fulfills only 16 out of 32 indicators, most of which do not provide exactly those related to legal recognition of gender, such as: the right to self-determination, the adoption of regulations that do not require diagnoses, the opinion of a psychologist, forced medical and surgical procedures, forced sterilization, forced divorce, as well as regulations that enable legal gender recognition regardless of age, and recognition of non-binary gender identities.

“Unfortunately, Montenegro remains one of only a few European countries with forced sterilization as a practice that some of its citizens have to go through. The data that stands out at the level of Europe and Central Asia is that, for the first time in 13 years, the number of rights lost exceeds the number of rights won. These data indicate a dangerous global trend, in which Montenegro can either be an accomplice or an opponent, thus remaining consistent with its long anti-fascist history with which everyone we are proud of, but whose preservation we do not equally contribute to, but which we perfomatively strive for,” says Spectra.

They say that the time for “false promises and silent support from an ambush is over, and that the Government of Montenegro will have to roll up its sleeves and fulfill its duties towards its citizens.”

“Today is not the day when it is enough to tweet and light up the building, just like in the past when it was enough for political elites to show up at Pride and wish us all equality. None of us live from such symbolic gestures. We demand the provision of conditions for a dignified life and work. Human rights are not a space for calculations, collecting political points, nor do we allow procrastination and searching for the “right moment” in which marginalized communities will finally come to the point of the agenda or be a currency for raskuravanje”, they say from Spectra.

The human rights of LGBTI persons, according to Spektra, is an area where Montenegro has the predisposition to lead by its bright example, but still continuously chooses to seek that potential, turning to repressive policies and trying, with all its might, to join the regional and global right-wing currents.

“That’s why, in response to IDAHOT, we call on the Government and Parliament of Montenegro to stop with deception, because the issue of human rights does not allow sitting on two chairs at the same time – one, which is for the European path of Montenegro, which must include everyone, and the other, with which it tries to court the current and all-pervasive right-wing propaganda.

We also remind you that, with the adoption of the Action Plan for Chapter 23, which fulfills the final criteria for joining the EU, the door to the EU is officially closed to Montenegro until it respects the human rights of every citizen and stops backward practices such as forced sterilization, i.e. adopts the Law on Legal Recognition of Gender Identity on the Basis of Self-Determination. We expect brave and decisive actions from the Government and the Assembly”, they conclude in the announcement.

Source: Portal Analitika