Gay Montenegro News & Reports

1 Montenegro – Barbarians At the Gate 12/04

2 2007 Annual Report for Serbia and Montenegro 07

3 HIV/AIDS 08

4 Nudist Beaches In Montenegro 07/08

5 The Balkans: Human Rights and LGBT 12/08

6 Montenegro’s gay community stays hidden to survive 12/09

7 Montenegro Has Started Its First LGBT Organization 3/11

8 First-Ever Gay Pride Planned for May 31 in Montenegro 4/11

9 Report exploring the link between MSM, homophobia and HIV/AIDS 4/11

10 Government fails to protect LGBT people from homophobic violence 5/11

2 December 2004 – tol.cz

1
Montenegro – Barbarians At the Gate
A TV show on homosexuality triggers strong negative reactions in Montenegro.

by Aida Ramusovic
Podgorica, Serbia and Montenegro–It seems incongruous given the small size and cozy character of Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica, that a television program would cause a ruckus that leaves three police officers injured and lands several football fans in jail–but that’s exactly what happened a few days ago.

The trigger was Montenegro TV’s first show on homosexuality, which aired on 26 November. Several dozen supporters of the football club Buducnost (Future), who call themselves Varvari or Barbarians, gathered in front of the TV building, hurled abuse at those inside, and tried to prevent the broadcast.

‘Pussycats’
The protests had also been provoked by an article in the daily Vijesti the previous day. The article quoted one of the guests on the show, Atila Kovac, as saying, “Boys from Podgorica are real pussycats.” Kovac is the editor of Decko (Boy), the first gay magazine in Serbia and Montenegro. He denied having made such a statement. When police intervened against the protesters, three officers were injured and several of the Barbarians arrested, including a well-known young journalist, Darko Ivanovic, and other leaders of the fan club.

Ivanovic hosts a show on a private Podgorica television station that deals with social issues and writes for the influential Montenegrin weekly Monitor. He explained why the Barbarians didn’t like homosexuals. “Heterosexuals don’t have this need to go out in the streets and to explain their sexual life. As long as [homosexuals] do it in rooms away from the public, or in their houses, everything is OK. [But] when they go out into Podgorica’s streets, that’s our business.” He also said the Barbarians didn’t like anything that came from outside the town. “Our philosophy can be summarized in the phrase ‘Podgorica to Podgorica citizens.’ We support right-wing politics, which is better than to be a part of these idiotic political parties, from the government to the opposition. We have chosen another option, which is fascism in Podgorica’s framework,” he continued.

Spring 2008 – amnestyusa.org

2
2007 Annual Report for Serbia and Montenegro

Montenegro Annual Report

Republic Of Serbia

Head of state: Boris Tadic
Head of government: Vojislav Koštunica
Death penalty: abolitionist for all crimes
International Criminal Court: ratified

Serbia’s failure to arrest and transfer indicted suspects to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (Tribunal) led to the suspension of talks on a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union (EU). Low-ranking officials were brought to justice in domestic war crimes trials. Discrimination continued against Romani and other minorities, especially in Kosovo.

Political developments
On 2 May the EU suspended negotiations on the Stabilization and Association Agreement after the authorities in Serbia and Montenegro failed to arrest suspects indicted by the Tribunal – in particular Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic. Negotiations remained suspended. On 14 December Serbia was admitted to NATO’s Partnership for Peace. Following an independence referendum on 21 May, Montenegro seceded from the state of Serbia and Montenegro. The Council of Europe continued to separately monitor Serbia’s compliance with conditions agreed on accession. Just over 50 per cent of voters in a referendum in October favoured the new Serbian Constitution, which restated that Kosovo and Metohija were part of Serbian territory. The Albanian minority in southern Serbia boycotted the referendum, and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo were not eligible to vote.
Final status of Kosovo

Following the failure to reach agreement between the Serbian and Kosovo authorities in talks from February to October, in November the UN Special Envoy for Kosovo – with the agreement of the UN Secretary-General – postponed a decision on the final status of Kosovo until after Serbian elections in January 2007. Kosovo remained part of Serbia and was administered by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). On 10 March, UNMIK began to transfer government responsibilities to the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo. On 1 June the Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo (SRSG) announced that UNMIK had begun preparations to leave Kosovo. The EU began preparing for UNMIK’s handover to an EU Crisis Management Operation.
Impunity for war crimes

Former Serbian President Slobodan Miloševic died following a heart attack at the Tribunal Detention Unit on 11 March. He had been on trial before the Tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Kosovo and Croatia, and for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Tribunal further restricted the conditions under which former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj could engage in domestic politics. Indicted for crimes against humanity and war crimes on 24 February 2005, he had been provisionally released from the Tribunal in June 2005. He was re-elected leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo on 20 May 2006.

In June, Carla del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor to the Tribunal, reported to the UN Security Council that Serbia’s co-operation with the Tribunal remained "difficult and frustrating", although there were improvements in access to archives and documents. She expressed serious concerns at the lack of co-operation by UNMIK.

• On 21 June indictments were joined of charges of war crimes in Kosovo against six senior Serbian political, police and military officials. Proceedings started in July.

• On 27 February the International Court of Justice opened public hearings on genocide charges filed by Bosnia and Herzegovina against Serbia and Montenegro.

• On 17 November the Tribunal transferred to Serbia the indictment against Vladimir Kovacevic, charged with six counts of war crimes in connection with the bombing of Dubrovnik in Croatia.
Serbia

Domestic war crimes trials
Progress was made in bringing Serbs suspected of war crimes to justice in domestic proceedings at the special War Crimes Chamber of the Belgrade District Court, although the Supreme Court continued to overturn war crimes verdicts and send cases back for retrial.

• The trial continued of five former members of the paramilitary unit known as the Scorpions. They were charged with war crimes, together with three others, for the killing of six Bosniak civilians in 1995 at Godinjske bare near Trnovo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• On 30 January, Milan Bulic was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for involvement in war crimes against Croatian civilians in 1991 in Croatia. Fourteen other defendants had been convicted and sentenced in December 2005.

• In March, at the request of the SRSG, an Interpol warrant requested by Serbia, for the arrest on suspicion of war crimes of Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Çeku, former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) chief of staff and commander of the Kosova Protection Corps, was withdrawn.

• In April the SRSG unsuccessfully challenged the Serbian court’s jurisdiction in the case of Anton Lekaj, a former KLA soldier. On 18 September the court sentenced him to 13 years’ imprisonment for war crimes, including the rape of a Romani girl in Kosovo and the murder of three Romani men.

Enforced disappearances
Human rights groups in February called for a parliamentary inquiry into an alleged official cover-up of the transfer from Kosovo to Serbia of the bodies of ethnic Albanians killed in 1999. Some were hidden in mass graves, others allegedly burned at the Mackatica smelting plant. On 30 June the last of the bodies of more than 700 ethnic Albanians exhumed from mass graves were returned to Kosovo. Police investigations were opened, according to reports in September, but no indictments were published by the end of 2006.

• On 2 October, the trial started at the War Crimes Chamber in Belgrade of eight former police officers – including Radoslav Mitrovic, former Kosovo special police commander and Radojko Repanovic, police commander in Suva Reka – indicted on 25 April for the murder of 48 ethnic Albanian civilians, all but one from the same family, in Suva Reka in March 1999. Some of their bodies had been exhumed at Batajnica.

• On 13 November the trial opened of two former police officers indicted in August for the murder of three Kosovo-Albanian brothers with US nationality.

Torture and ill-treatment
The new Serbian Criminal Code, which entered into force on 1 January, introduced a specific criminal offence of torture.

Numerous detainees alleged torture and other ill-treatment aimed at extracting "confessions", mostly at the time of arrest and during the first hours of detention at police stations, according to a report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture published in May. Reported methods included "falaka" (beating on the soles of the feet).

• In November police allegedly used excessive force against a prison protest at the government’s failure to implement an amnesty law. Lawyers and relatives were reportedly unable to visit some of the 50 prisoners who had been hospitalized or placed in solitary confinement.

Political killings
• In May the Serbian Supreme Court ordered the retrial of Milorad Ulemek and former secret police chief Radomir Markovi?», citing serious violations of procedure. The two men had been convicted of the attempted murder of government minister Vuk Draškovic and the murder of four other men, and sentenced to 15 and 10 years’ imprisonment respectively, in June 2005.

• In November, Aleksandar Simovic was arrested for the murder in June of Zoran Vukojevi?», a witness at a separate trial of Milorad Ulemek and others on charges of murdering former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Ðindic. Others indicted for the murder of Zoran Ðindic remained at large.

• On 10 September municipal election candidate Ru?»dija Durovic was killed in a shooting incident at a polling station in Novi Pazar in the Sand?»ak region. The killing was believed to be politically motivated. Three others were injured. Two suspects were arrested within 24 hours and remained in detention in November. Four people were injured in November when an explosive device was thrown into the home of a Democratic Action Party official.

Human rights defenders
Prosecutions believed to be malicious and politically motivated were opened in several proceedings against Biljana Kovacevic-Vuco, director of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, and Humanitarian Law Centre director Nataša Ka’di. The charges included defamation.

Discrimination against minorities
• In October, eight football fans were indicted in Cacak for racial abuse of a Zimbabwean player, and 152 Belgrade fans were arrested for racial abuse during a football match against the mainly ethnic Bosniak team from Novi Pazar.

• On 6 February Šabac Municipal Court convicted Bogdan Vaslijevic of "violating the equality of citizens" for preventing three Romani people from entering a swimming pool on 8 July 2000. He received a suspended three-month prison term.

• On 6 March the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination found that Serbia and Montenegro had failed to provide an effective remedy in the case of a Romani man, Dragan Durmi’, refused entry to a Belgrade discotheque in March 2000.

Violence against women
Violence against women, including domestic violence and trafficking for the purposes of forced prostitution, remained widespread. On 10 January, the Ministry for Labour, Employment and Social policy published a draft strategy on combating violence against women but failed to consult women’s organizations.
Kosovo

An UNMIK regulation in February effectively withdrew the jurisdiction of the Ombudsperson’s Office over UNMIK. The Human Rights Advisory Panel, proposed as an alternative mechanism on 23 March, failed to provide an impartial body which would guarantee access to redress and reparations for people whose rights had been violated by UNMIK. It had not been constituted by the end of 2006. Recommendations to strengthen protection for minorities by the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, made public in March, were not implemented. The UN Human Rights Committee criticized the lack of human rights protection in Kosovo following consideration of an UNMIK report in July.

In November the European Court of Human Rights considered the admissibility of a case against French members of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) brought by the father of a 12-year-old boy killed in May 2000 by an unexploded cluster bomb that the troops had failed to detonate or mark. His younger son was severely injured.

Inter-ethnic violence
Impunity continued for the majority of perpetrators of ethnically motivated attacks. Most attacks involved the stoning of buses carrying Serb passengers by Albanian youths. In some cases, grenades or other explosive devices were thrown at buses or houses, and Orthodox churches were looted and vandalized.

Three predominantly Serbian municipalities declared a "state of emergency" on 2 June following attacks they considered ethnically motivated, and announced a boycott of the UNMIK police and the Kosovo Police Service (KPS). Additional international police were deployed and ethnic Albanian KPS officers withdrawn.

• On 1 June, a Serbian youth was shot dead on the road between Zvecan/Zveçan and Zitkovac/Zhitkoc.

• On 20 June, a 68-year-old Serbian man who had returned the previous year to Klinë/a was reportedly shot dead in his own house.

• In June, two Romani families reportedly left the village of Zhiti/Zitinje after an incident in which an ethnic Albanian was later arrested.

War crimes trials
Impunity for war crimes against Serbs and other minorities continued.

• On 11 August former KLA member Selim Krasniqi and two others were convicted before an international panel of judges at Gnjilanë/Gjilan District Court of the abduction and ill-treatment at a KLA camp in 1998 of ethnic Albanians suspected of collaborating with the Serb authorities. They were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. A visit to Selim Krasniqi in prison by Prime Minister Agim Çeku provoked an outcry.

UNMIK police failed to conduct investigations into outstanding cases of abducted members of minority communities. On 13 October the bodies of 29 Serbs and other non-Albanians exhumed in Kosovo were handed over to the Serbian authorities and to families for burial in Belgrade.

Excessive force by police
• On 25 May, 33 women, 20 children and three men required treatment for exposure to tear gas and other injuries after UNMIK police beat people and used tear gas in the village of Krusha e Vogël/Mala Kruša. Women had surrounded a convoy of armoured UNMIK vehicles escorting defence lawyers for Dragoljub Ojdanic, indicted by the Tribunal with responsibility for the murder of over 100 men and boys in the village in 1999. An UNMIK inquiry found that the police had used reasonable force, but acknowledged that the incident could have been avoided with adequate preparation.

On a number of occasions, UNMIK and KPS officers used excessive force in peaceful demonstrations against UNMIK and the Kosovo status talks by members of the non-governmental Vetëvendosje! (Self Determination!) organization.

• On 23 August, 15 people were reportedly ill-treated following arrest at Pristina police station. The Acting Ombudsperson asked the prosecutor to open an investigation in the case of one man whose arm and nose were broken and eyes injured.

• On 6 December the commander of Peja/Pec KPS and two KPS officers were suspended following a detainee’s death in custody.
Discrimination

• Most Romani, Ashkali and Egyptian families living on lead-contaminated sites near Mitrovicë/a voluntarily moved to a former military camp at Osterode at the beginning of 2006. Some Roma remained at one site until it was destroyed by fire. There was a lack of meaningful consultation with the communities before relocation and on the rebuilding of their former homes in the Romani neighbourhood of south Mitrovicë/Mitrovica. Some of the community returned to newly built houses in December.

In February the European Court of Human Rights decided it was not competent to rule on a petition by the communities that their economic and social rights had been violated, on the grounds that UNMIK was not a party to the European Convention on Human Rights.

• In early 2006, a senior KPS officer was reportedly removed from his post and other officers given training after a complaint to the UNMIK police commissioner by two gay men. After being assaulted on 31 December 2005 in a village outside Pristina, they had been taken to hospital by KPS officers and asked to file a complaint, but were later subjected to insulting and degrading abuse when their sexual orientation was discovered. Officers told them, incorrectly, that homosexuality was unlawful in Kosovo.
Refugee returns

The rate of return of people displaced by the conflict in Kosovo remained low, although it was reported in June that some 400 Serbs had agreed to return to Babush village near Ferizaj/Uro®evac. Those forcibly returned to Kosovo from EU member states were rarely provided with support and assistance by the authorities.

Violence against women
Up to three cases a day of domestic violence were reported by the UNMIK police. The Ministry of Justice and Social Welfare agreed in July to provide funding for the women’s shelter in Gjakova/Ðakovica, and promised financial support for other shelters.

Trafficking for the purposes of forced prostitution continued to be widespread. Reportedly, 45 criminal proceedings related to trafficking were taking place in July. Little progress was made in implementing the Kosovo Action Plan of Trafficking, published in 2005.

AI country reports/visits
Reports
• Europe and Central Asia: Summary of Amnesty International’s concerns in the region, January-June 2006 (AI Index: EUR 01/017/2006)

• Kosovo/Kosova (Serbia): Human rights protection in post-status Kosovo/Kosova – Amnesty International’s recommendations relating to talks on the final status of Kosovo/Kosova (AI Index: EUR 70/008/2006)

• Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro): United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) – Conclusions of the Human Rights Committee, 86th Session, July 2006 (AI Index: EUR 70/011/2006)

• Kosovo (Serbia): The UN in Kosovo – a legacy of impunity (AI Index: EUR 70/015/2006)6)
Visit

AI delegates visited Kosovo in April.

2008 – undp.org.me

3
HIV/AIDS

Eight at risk groups have been identified and targeted by the programme and outreach efforts are conducted by 11 implementing partners:

1. Sex workers (SW)
The extent of sex work in Montenegro is still unclear. Street level prostitution does not exist, nor do brothels. SWs generally operate out of bars and night clubs. Geographically, prostitution is concentrated in the capital, Podgorica. Coastal communities see a substantial influx of SWs during the summer tourism season and prostitution can be found in most, if not all, municipalities in all parts of the country year round.

Prostitution is illegal in Montenegro. However, unlike other countries, where purchasing sexual services is outlawed, Montenegrin law criminalizes the selling of sexual services. This makes outreach efforts aimed at SWs more difficult because they are more reluctant to identify themselves. A total of 222 SWs were reached directly as of July 2008. During their field work outreach workers discovered that approximately 10% of SWs are male. Condoms are continually distributed free of charge to SWs and all are offered counseling and directed to health clinics, should they want to be tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Most SWs are doubly at risk of contracting HIV because a significant percentage of them are injecting drug users (IDUs). When field workers realized this they added a needle exchange program to their condom distribution service.

2. Injecting drug users (IDUs)
Harm reduction efforts have centred on opening needle exchange programmes in municipalities. Fourteen needle exchanges points have been established across the country and the effort continues to make it possible for IDUs to exchange needles closer to where they live in order to avoid the sharing of dirty needles. The Podgorica needle exchange within the Primary Health Care Center serves 60 – 70 clients per month. Outreach activities covered more than 250 IDUs. All needle exchange clients are urged to submit to testing and offered counseling and treatment. They are also provided with condoms and education leaflets.

As of January 2009 there were approximately 50 opiate addicts undergoing methadone substitution treatment under the supervision of the Primary Health Care Center in Podgorica. There is still resistance in Montenegrin society, including the mental health profession, to harm reduction and replacement treatment efforts.

3. Men who have sex with men (MSM)
This group faces considerable stigma and discrimination in a very conservative society. There is no openly gay scene within the country, although many homosexual men from Montenegro use gay facilities in Serbia. Because of this fact, most direct contact with this at risk group has been online. So far 98 people identifying themselves as men who have sex with men have had face to face contact with outreach workers. In 2007, six of nine newly reported cases of HIV in Montenegro have been from this targeted at risk group.

Homosexual activities have not been a criminal offense in Montenegro since 1974. The fact that the republic signed a UN declaration of human rights for people with different sexual orientation is seen as a very positive step forward in the effort to destigmatize gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered individuals. It is hoped that legislation specifically banning discrimination against people with different sexual orientations will be considered, debated, drafted, passed and implemented in the future. The Constitution that was passed in 2007 does not specifically state that discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal.

4. Sailors
There are an estimated 4500 Montenegrin men working as merchant marine sailors. Many are employed by foreign shipping companies and spend long periods away from home. Merchant marine sailors account for 15% of reported HIV cases in Montenegro and if you add their partners the number increases to 24%. Direct outreach efforts to educate sailors and offer them counseling and testing services have reached approximately 3000 sailors since the inception of the programme.

5. Prisoners
There are around 600 prisoners in Montenegro’s two main prisons at any given time. Although officials claim that illicit drug use within penal institutions has been completely eliminated, it is believed that approximately 20% of prisoners are using illegal drugs. Since the programme’s inception approximately 1000 prisoners have been educated and offered counseling and testing services.

6. Roma youth
Montenegro’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) estimated that there were 20,000 Roma people living in Montenegro, of whom 5000 were refugees from Kosovo and that they were disproportionately poor. It is widely accepted that Roma start engaging in sexual activities and marry at an earlier age than other segments of Montenegrin society. Thus the programme has targeted Roma youth. Since the programme’s inception close to 3500 Roma youth have been directly educated. There are no known cases of HIV in those communities.

7. Workers in the tourism industry
An estimated 1,000,000 tourists visit Montenegro each year. The tourism industry has boomed in recent years creating many low paying jobs, mostly for young people. Tourists are often seeking adventure in any and all forms, including sexual. Tourism industry workers have a much higher exposure to social interaction than workers in most other fields. Approximately 500 tourism industry workers have attended education sessions and almost 2500 have been counseled and/or tested since the programme began.

8. Young people
There are an estimated 200,000 young people in Montenegro. Prevention activities include young people in general. The biggest success since the programme’s inception has been the design and implementation of ‘healthy lifestyles’ course for primary schools. The pilot course, which included a section on HIV, other STIs and safe sex practices, reached 2700 students. The pilot was universally hailed as a success and will be part of the curriculum of all Montenegrin elementary schools in the 2009 – 2010 school year. The course is unique in Montenegro for two reasons: education professionals were not solely responsible for its design (physicians, psychologists, sociologists and other professionals were all instrumental in the effort); and it is the first time in Montenegro that preventative measures health planning has been institutionalized within the education sector.

Unfortunately, there is currently no room within the compulsory curriculum for the course and it will only be offered as an option. However, the whole primary and secondary education system is currently undergoing an ongoing review and there is hope that the course could, one day, become compulsory. The programme’s implementing partners have reached some 16,000 secondary school students with non-curriculum, peer outreach programmes and a web site aimed at youth has had 4000 + unique visits. There are eight VCT (voluntary counseling and testing on HIV) facilities in the country, so no one has to travel far to be tested. Testing is free and confidential and 1070 people have been tested.

Treatment is also free, including drugs that can be prohibitively expensive for victims in other countries. It is rare that a patient has to be sent to Belgrade for treatment options that are not available in Montenegro but when it does happen those expenses are also covered for the patient by the National Health Insurance Fund. A total of 788 health professionals and 249 other professionals and NGO staff have received training in different areas related to HIV/AIDS over the course of the programme. Fourteen implementing partners have been engaged in the coordinated response to HIV/AIDS at the national level. The government continues to understand the importance of these efforts. A location for a new centre for the combat of infectious diseases is being scouted.

July 07, 2008 – xtourist.com

4
Nudist Beaches In Montenegro

by Jen
The Republic of Montenegro (Crna Gora) is situated in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea. It borders countries such as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania. Because of Yugoslavia’s civil war back in the 1990s, Montenegro’s tourism had suffered a great deal. However, due to stabilized situation in the region in the recent years, tourism in Montenegro has managed to recover and the country is now being re-discovered by tourists from around the world. As a result, many hotels as well as roads are being reconstructed and renovated as we speak. Montenegro’s coast enjoys a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

Getting To Montenegro
Montenegro can be reached by various means of transportation.

By plane
There are airports in Podgorica and in Tivat. Podgorica airport is the main international airport with flights to Belgrade, Budapest, Zurich, Frankfurt, Ljubljana, Paris, Rome and Vienna. Podgorica city center can be reached by minibuses or by getting a taxi, which is more expensive solution. There are also bus lines connecting the airport with Montenegro cities. Tivat airport is situated on the Montenegrin coast. It has regular flights to Belgrade throughout the year, and has charter flights to major European destinations during the summer. Tivat airport is 20km from Budva and Herceg-Novi and 60 km from Bar.

By train
Train may be the cheapest but not the most comfortable way to get to Montenegro. However, getting a cabin in an overnight train is an excellent idea but booking must be done months in advance.

By bus
There are many bus lines connecting Montenegro to its neighbouring countries.

By car
European routes E65, E80, E762, E763 and E851 are passing through the country. You may choose to go through Croatia or Serbia. Serbian road is being renovated as we speak and will offer a comfortable road through the country as soon as it gets done.

By ship
There are regular ferry lines from Bar to Bari and Ancona in Italy.

Nudist beaches in Montenegro
Ulcinj Municipality
Ada Bojana is one of the most "official" naturist beaches in the country. The island is referred to as the nudist colony. The island is situated on the southernmost tip of Montenegro, in the city of Ulcinj. It has a triangular shape and is bordered from two sides by The Bojana river, and by Adriatic Sea from south-west. It has an area of 4,8 square km. The island is artificial, created by gathering river sand around ship sunk at the mouth of Bojana river. This isle is connected to the mainland with a bridge and both its sides feature characteristic raft called “kalimera“, which are wooden platforms with nets lifted and sank into the water by levers. Ada Bojana has 3 km long sandy beach and is covered by thick vegetation that makes it a special micro ecological world, the home of rare plants and rare animals. It is an excellent place for bird and plant safaris. Ada Bojana still has a lot of renovating to do but if you are nature lovers, it is a good place to go to.

Montenegrins are not conservative in regards to nudity as long as it includes nude women (with or without male companions). However, they will not support gay men being open about their sexual preferences in public. Gay men do go to Ada Bojana but there are no hidden places or forests where gay men could be themselves. Zenska plaza (Women’s Beach) is located in the wonderful centuries-old, pinewood, in the immediate vicinity of hotels ,,Galeb" and ,,Albatros". At the beach, there is a source of healing sulphurous mineral water claimed to be miraculous. It is said that this mineral water is beneficial for women with fertility problems. This beach is reserved for female nudists alone.

Budva Municipality
Jaz Beach, Budva, a former nudist beach
Jaz is a beach located 2.5 km west of the city of Budva on the way to Tivat. It consists of two parts, one 500 m long and the other, formerly a nudist beach, 300 m long. The beach is pebbly and the sea bottom at its beginning, but it becomes sandy as the water gets deeper. In the background of the bigger part of the beach famous for its Mediterranean vegetation and greenary, there is a campsite with the capacity of 2000 sites. This beach is a protected natural area of the first category. Unfortunately, naturists have been dislodged from this beach.

Crvena glavica
However, some 9 kilometers away from Budva, on the island of Sveti Stefan (St. Stefan), there is a nudist beach called Crvena glavica. It is a city beach, with sand and stone rock. The beach can be approached by walking or by car path. There is also an auto camp.

Buljarice
At the end of the Budva municipality, 2 km away from Petrovac on the way to Bar, there is a beach called Buljarica. The beach is still an untouched gem of the Adriatic coast with its unique sandy beach stretching for more than 2,250m. The hinterland of Buljarica has largely retained its natural appearance and is still very thinly populated but not for long. There are a few attractive buildings where you can find accommodation, a couple of interesting restaurants and some camp sites. Although there is no official nudist beach, the left side of the beach (when looking at the sea) is largely being used by the nudists.

Herceg Novi Municipality
Njivice
Njivice is an idyllic fishing and tourist village on the south-western shore of the Bay of Herceg Novi (Boka Kotorska bay), directly above the sea, with a lovely view of Herceg Novi and the mountains of Lovcen and Orjen. The place is also well known as peaceful place with beautiful and rich nature. Igalo (a well-known health resort) is about 3 km away and Herceg Novi is about 6 km. In the summer time, the transport from Njivice to Herceg Novi is managed by minibus lines, which drive every 2 hours.
Hotel Riviera beach is an urban beach with a bar and a restaurant, playground, dressing rooms, sanitary facilities. Beach is accessible by promenade from hotel parking place. Beach is accessible also by boat. A small section of the beach is reserved for nudists. This part of the beach is separated by the folding screen from the rest of the beach. In the summer time, the beach gets really crowded, mostly by young people.

Bar Municipality
Ratac
Ratac is situated several kilometers away from Bar on the highway Bar – Sutomore, in the surroundings better known as cape Ratac. The place is a favorite tourist site for camping and other types of recreation. In the recent years, Ratac has attracted nudists, because of the nude beach located on the south side of the cape, but also because of the unusually bluish color of the sea in that area of the Bar shore. Ratac has very clean seawater and ecologically natural environment.

If you decided to visit Montenegro by car, you can make a tour and visit most of the places at once.

2008 December 10 – globalvoicesonline.org

5
The Balkans: Human Rights and LGBT

by Sinisa Boljanovic
A few days ago, the Serbian Ministry of Culture approved a little more than 2,000 EUR for the development of Queeria [1] web portal. It is the first time that the Serbian government gives money to any LGBT movements. This act has drawn the attention of the public in Serbia, inspiring numerous public discussions of the issue. Another Serbian gay web site – the Gay Straight Alliance [2] – published an article [3] (SRP) about the European Commission [4]’s assessment of the situation with gay population in the ex-Yugoslav republics.

Serbia:
The report about Serbia’s development says that violent attacks, hate speech and sexual discrimination are common. It also says that the government hasn’t stopped discrimination. The report stresses that the anti-discrimination laws have not been adopted yet, while the protection against job discrimination and protection on occasion of unemployment is very weak. However, in the report there are no explicit examples about violent attacks, hate speech and threats affecting gay-related events in Serbia, such as [Eurovision [5]] and a gay festival that took place in September. [ILGA-EUROPE] [6] (the International Lesbian and Gay Association) called to the European Commission to continue the monitoring, especially of the rights of free gathering of gay population in Serbia.

Montenegro:
[…] According to the report, there is homophobia in Montenegro. At the same time, there is no law protecting these people. The report says that Montenegro needs anti-discrimination measures that would cover sexual orientation and gender identity. Although there is freedom of association in Montenegro, fear of discrimination and stigmatization are the main obstacles that keep Montenegrin gays from getting organized. The fear is also the reason why this population is not active in fighting for its rights. […]

Kosovo:
Although there are laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation, the report stresses very bad application of these laws. There is homophobia in the media and public opinion and many gays are not aware of the protection that these anti-discrimination laws could give them. As in Montenegro, the level of organizing of the gay population is very low. There is also the fear of discrimination and stigmatization and many don’t dare take part in actions carried out by gay organizations. Because of fear, many cases of violence are not reported. Also, a lot of cases of violence were committed by state authorities.

Croatia:
According to the Commission, Croatia is the only country in the region in which there has been development in regards to the European integration and protection of human rights. Croatia adopted an all-inclusive anti-discrimination law in July 2008. It will have a positive influence on gay rights. The law is in keeping with European standards, but the report underlines that its practical application is not sufficient. The degree of protection against discrimination is lower than in Europe. […]

Macedonia:
The report says that anti-discrimination law hasn’t gone into effect yet and the current legislation is not in keeping with European standards. There are explicit examples of discrimination against queer population in the report as well as a recommendation that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity be included in the national strategy against discrimination.

Bosnia & Herzegovina:
The report says that Bosnia & Herzegovina put an effort in order to improve the human rights situation. It also says that there is no all-inclusive anti-descrimination law and that the government formally and informally supports discrimination and violence against gay population. Also, there is job and employment discrimination, as well as disregard for the right of free association, and violence against some people because of their sexual orientation. Unfortunately, the report doesn’t mention the brutal attack and violence during the [gay festival in Sarajevo [7]]. ILGA-EUROPE asked that the Commission included this information in its report for 2009 since there was violence against participants during the festival, the offices of gay movements were attacked, death threats were made against activists and organizers of the festival and the police did not react.

Almost all Croatian media have recently published the news about signing of the petition against homosexuality.

According to the daily news section of Croatian website of Dnevnik.hr [8], on occasion of France’s initiative in the United Nations (Croatia supported it) about global decriminalizion of homosexuality, representatives of a civil initiative “Sign the Declaration” [9] organized signing of a petition against homosexual marriages and abortion, among other things. The petition could be signed in Catholic churches around Croatia on Dec. 7. The Serbian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox Church as well as the Islamic religious community supported this petition. Reacting to this action, members of Croatian gay rights movements distributed leaflets with the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [10] in front of Zagreb’s Cathedral.

Sanja Juras, coordinator of the Lesbian group Kontra [11] said: The Church has distorted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the media and abused it in order to challenge the homosexuals’ right to have a family as well as women’s right for an abortion.

Here are several comments by Croatian readers:

Tinta10 says: All who support gays and besmirch the Church are miserable.

Starimladi: It is no argument that the initiative is supported by all religious communities. Religious organizations think dogmatically. They exclude any logical thinking and researching. Professionals – psychologists, sociologists, doctors – should answer about health, illness and conception. Not dogmatists. They think that they are God’s deputies and they believe only what they say is true. On behalf of God they made a lot of evils so that they don’t have credibility.

Angell says: […] It shouldn’t be bad toward homosexuals but it shouldn’t support them. Homosexuality is illness which has to be treated. If people live according to the New Testament or the Ten Commandments, it will be the way it should be. […]

2 December 2009 – Asylum Law

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Montenegro’s gay community stays hidden to survive

by Nela Lazarevic
Mirko and Nenad would like to forget the night when the Podgorica police caught them being intimate in a park and decided to teach them a lesson by beating them up and leaving them in the dark with no clothes.

Naked, they returned home discretely and tried to conceal all traces of this ‘disgrace.’ “These guys felt there was no climate of tolerance in Montenegro, so any attempt to process this case would do them more harm than good,” remarks Aleksandar Saša-Zekovic, a human rights researcher and a member of the Council for Civil Control of Police.

One of the few people who knew about this case, Zekovic received confirmation of the men’s story from police sources. “I had everything I needed to take this case to court except what mattered most, the consent of one of the victims,” he adds. Four years on, none of the police officers involved have been held accountable and the public never found out what happened to the two men, whose real names have had to be concealed.

Data gives a false picture

Read Report HERE

March 27, 2011 – GayBy.net
Russian to English translation

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Montenegro Has Started Its First LGBT Organization

‘Forum LGBT Progress’ under this name started the first LGBT organization in Montenegro, in Podgorica. LGBT Forum Progress has recently been registered in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Despite the fact that the Balkan countries have adopted anti-discrimination laws, which include protecting the LGBT community, the rights of members of this community, as a rule, are limited in practice, and Montenegro became one of the countries rated as unfriendly countries especially in relation to gays and lesbians .

The work of the new organization of LGBT Montenegro will seek to improve support and solidarity, strengthening the overall capacity of the LGBT community and strengthen the position of lesbian and gay people in society, economy, labor market, sports and education and will strive to protect the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.

April 14, 2011 – Towleroad

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First-Ever Gay Pride Planned for May 31 in Montenegro

The conservative Balkan republic of Montenegro hopes to one day enter the European Union. To do so, it must prove tolerance and respect for the human rights of gays and lesbians, which is the reason the government is behind the country’s first Gay Pride march, set for May 31. Montenegro The AP: "The government says in a statement its support for the event demonstrates the commitment for European values of tolerance and equality. A gay group behind the march urged the government Thursday to stress the message of support further by naming an official to head the organizing committee. Zdravko Cimbaljevic, of the LGBT Forum Progres group, says he has received online threats from extremists."

Montenegrin Prime Minister Igor Lukšic spoke out about the march:
He has assessed, however, that the parade would probably be a high-risk event and that police would be responsible for providing safety to the participants in accordance with security standards, Podgorica media report.

“It is precisely known, in accordance with the law, how certain rallies are organized and how security standards are provided,” Lukšic pointed out, adding that the Montenegrin society “needs to cross the line” at some point in order to prove that it accepts all differences. “Whether we personally accept them or not, whether we personally have one opinion or the other, let that remain our personal thought, but we must face the fact that there are differences in the society, that those issues are a part of the human rights corpus. Let the people take a walk and we will show that we are civilized,” the Montenegrin PM concluded.

29 Apr, 2011 – MSM Global Forum

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Report exploring the link between MSM, homophobia and HIV/AIDS in countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia

Executive Summary
1. Homophobia in South-eastern Europe – Prevalence, Consequences, and Prevention 9
1.1. Introduction 9
1.2. Meaning and Impact of Homophobia 9
1.3. A Snapshot of Homophobia in the Region 10
1.4. Local Responses to Homophobia 11
1.5. Recommendations for Homophobia Prevention 13
1.5.1.Young People and Schools 13
1.5.2. Law Enforcement and Homophobia 13
1.5.3. Social Marketing and the Media 14
1.5.4. Internalized Homophobia 14
1.6. Conclusion 15

2. MSM- men having sex with men 17
2.1. Introduction 17
2.2. The Term 18
2.3. “MSM” in the Region, Introduction 18
2.4. Silent men 19
2.5. What’s Sex Got to Do with It? 20
2.6. Continued: MSM in the Region 20
2.7. Instead of Conclusion 21

3. Legal Status of Sexual and Gender Minorities in South-eastern Europe 23
3.1. Introduction 23
3.2. Human Rights Standards 23
3.2.1. Human rights definition 23
3.2.2. Violations of human rights 23
3.2.3. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 24
3.2.4. First Optional Protocol to the ICCPR 26
3.2.5. Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR 26
3.2.7. Protocol 12 to the ECHR 26
3.2.8. The European Charter on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 27
3.2.9. The European documents relevant for sexual and gender minorities 27
3.2.10. The European Parliament Resolution A3-0028/94 27
3.2.11. The European Parliament Resolution A5-0050/00 27
3.2.12. The Council Directive 2000/78/EC 27
3.2.13. The European Parliament Resolution on Homophobia in Europe 28
3.2.14. The Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec (2010) 28
3.3. Right to life, safety and protection from violence 28
3.3.1. Legal background in the region 28
3.3.2. Violence against sexual and gender minorities 29
3.3.3. Availability of effective remedies 30
3.3.4. Forced psychiatric treatment 31
3.3.5. Conclusions and recommendations 32
3.4. Right to expression and public assembly 33
3.4.1. Practice of the European Court on Human Rights 33
3.4.2. Zagreb Pride 34
3.4.3. Belgrade Pride 34
3.4.4. Queer festival Sarajevo 35
4.4.5. Conclusions and recommendations 35
3.5. Right to be protected from discrimination 36
3.5.2. Practice of the European Court on Human Rights 36
3.5.3. National anti-discrimination legislations 36
3.5.4. Conclusions and recommendations 39
3.6. Right to family life 40
3.6.1. European context 40
3.6.2. Situation in the region 41
3.6.3. Conclusions and recommendations 42
3.7. Summary of recommendations 42

More….View this article’s attachment here

May 17, 2011 – LGBT

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Montenegro: Government fails to protect LGBT people from homophobic violence

A music concert was met by homophobic violence in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica. During a performance by artist Lollobrigida on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, unknown groups threw teargas cans in the crowd, forcing half of the audience to disperse and seek medical assistance. Montenegro flagIn a related event, two members of the public were attacked in the centre of town, and told to “not spread the disease [homosexuality] here”. The Montenegrin government had earlier pledged to protect the LGBT pride event planned for 31 May, but has yet failed to earmark specific resources to protect the pride.

In light of these incidents, organisers of the pride announced they would suspend their plans for a public event on 31 May. They called on the government to provide effective plans to protect participants and onlookers during the pride march. Currently in Podgorica, Ulrike Lunacek MEP, Co-President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, reacted: “Today we saw first-hand the total lack of political will from national authorities to protect LGBT people and their supporters. These incidents are set to increase unless the Montenegrin government send a strong signal. And as Montenegro further progresses as a candidate to join the European Union, all its citizens must be protected and respected by authorities, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Also in Montenegro, Jelko Kacin MEP, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to South-East Europe, added: “It is deeply regrettable that the first gay pride parade in the country should be cancelled, due to authorities’ failure to unequivocally support the parade. The government’s genuine solidarity and public support is essential; formal approval is not sufficient, as it wasn’t followed by any concrete action. Today, Montenegro failed to demonstrate that it wants to progress towards EU accession equally fast, in all areas. Respect, protection and promotion of minority rights are a quintessential part of our common European values.” The LGBT Intergroup will continue monitoring the situation in Montenegro.