Commissioner for Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic condemns as discriminatory and insulting the statement of Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar that he “pursues a policy of not having Montenegrins in his portfolio” and that in Serbia “we have those Montenegrins in many leading positions who do not know how to speak Serbian”. Jankovic points out that this attitude is contrary to the Constitution and the principles of equality of all citizens.

Namely, the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia prescribes that all discrimination is prohibited, especially on grounds of ethnicity, as well as that the state guarantees special protection to national minorities in order to achieve full equality and preserve their identity, while the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination prohibits discrimination against national minorities on grounds of nationality, ethnic origin, religion and language.

Commissioner stresses that such statements can upset many citizens, and that carriers of public functions have great responsibility to promote tolerance, understanding and equality. The Republic of Serbia has a high level of protection of the rights of national minorities, and such statements damage the reputation of the state, concludes Brankica Jankovic.