Post by vinjak on Jul 10, 2008 19:27:49 GMT -5
Croatia Passes Anti-Discrimination Law
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Croatia's Parliament Building10 July 2008 Zagreb _ Croatia’s Parliament has passed an anti-discrimination law sidelining opposition from religious groups over its protection of gay rights.
119 of 177 Croatian deputies in parliament voted in favour of the bill.
The bill was pushed through with an amendment that discrimination could only be characterised as such if it was committed intentionally.
Furio Radin, representative of the Italian minority in the Parliament, said this amendment had shortcomings.
“Courts will have a hard job in proving discrimination,” he argued.
Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic from the opposition Social Democratic Party said, “a provocation can not be made without intention.”
The purpose of the new law is to fill in the gaps identified in the 2007 Progress Report on Croatia by the European Commission.
Croatia is not a member of the European Union but has applied to join and is regarded as likely to be admitted by 2011.
But religious groups had opposed certain aspects of the bill – particularly to those referring to gay rights and gender identity.
On Tuesday officials from the Catholic Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Community, the Evangelic Church, the Reformed Christian Calvinist Church and the Baptist Union of Croatia ordered the government to hold a public debate on the matter first.
They argued politicians had a responsibility to pass laws which will respect and protect the system of values which the Croatian society is based on.
www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/11707/
Email a friend
Save article
Print article
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Croatia's Parliament Building10 July 2008 Zagreb _ Croatia’s Parliament has passed an anti-discrimination law sidelining opposition from religious groups over its protection of gay rights.
119 of 177 Croatian deputies in parliament voted in favour of the bill.
The bill was pushed through with an amendment that discrimination could only be characterised as such if it was committed intentionally.
Furio Radin, representative of the Italian minority in the Parliament, said this amendment had shortcomings.
“Courts will have a hard job in proving discrimination,” he argued.
Ingrid Anticevic-Marinovic from the opposition Social Democratic Party said, “a provocation can not be made without intention.”
The purpose of the new law is to fill in the gaps identified in the 2007 Progress Report on Croatia by the European Commission.
Croatia is not a member of the European Union but has applied to join and is regarded as likely to be admitted by 2011.
But religious groups had opposed certain aspects of the bill – particularly to those referring to gay rights and gender identity.
On Tuesday officials from the Catholic Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Community, the Evangelic Church, the Reformed Christian Calvinist Church and the Baptist Union of Croatia ordered the government to hold a public debate on the matter first.
They argued politicians had a responsibility to pass laws which will respect and protect the system of values which the Croatian society is based on.
www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/11707/