Ć – strategic litigation against hate speech

The project addresses hate speech against the citizens who were erased from the register of permanent residents in 1992 and against the authors of the monument in the form of the letter Č, which stands in the Park of the Erased at the former Rog factory. As is often the case with hate speech, the key role in the creation of hate messages and incitement of hatred was played by web portals and media outlets. Their posts, which included messages of violence and hatred, were widely shared. Since the announcement of the results of the competition for the monument, the authors of the winning monument – Vuk Ćosić, Aleksander Vujović and Irena Woelle – have been the target of threats, media discreditations as well as false and insulting statements, which bear consequences for the authors themselves, their families and society as a whole. In the comments below the articles, a lot of hate speech against the erased can also be found. Such actions are radically dismissive and dangerous for our society, which is why we are tackling them legally. We believe that the perpetrators behind these actions must be punished since this is the only way we can prevent such practices from becoming the norm.

Within the framework of the project, we have filed a criminal complaint against comments appearing under the article on the Nova24 web portal entitled “A Monument for the Erased at the Heart of the Multicultural Ljubljana” (“Izbrisanim tudi spomenik sredi multukulturne Ljubljane” in Slovene). The comments are radically dismissive and dangerous for our society, which is why we have dealt with them legally by filing a criminal complaint against the offense of inciting public hatred, violence, or discrimination, as is defined in Article 297 of the Criminal Code (KZ-1). The complaint was filed on the basis of the article containing false and offensive statements that  contains false and offensive statements that impermissibly interfere with the honor and good name of Vuk Ćosić. In addition to filing the criminal complaint, we will also support Vuk Ćošić in civil proceeding proceedings when filing a lawsuit for compensation for mental distress caused by interference with good name.