Statement: Informer Uses Sexual Orientation for Political Discrediting and Stigmatization

The Association Da se zna! strongly condemns the article published on the Informer portal in which Marko Andrejević, a student and representative of the citizens’ group “Bor, naša odgovornost” (“Bor, Our Responsibility”), is labeled a “gay student blockade protester.” In this way, his sexual orientation is used as a tool for political discrediting and public targeting ahead of the local elections in Bor scheduled for March 29.

It is particularly unacceptable that the article includes claims about his alleged use of the Grindr application, which constitutes an intrusion into an individual’s private life. Information about a person’s sexual orientation and private habits belongs to the category of the most sensitive personal data, and its public disclosure represents a serious violation of the right to privacy and dignity.

By publishing such content, Informer is in clear violation of the Law on Public Information and Media, the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination, and the Law on Personal Data Protection.

In response to this article, the Association Da se zna! will address the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, as well as the Press Council, in order to determine responsibility for such conduct.

We call on the editorial board of Informer to immediately remove the disputed article from its portal and to cease the practice of targeting and stigmatizing citizens on the basis of their personal characteristics.

Association Da se zna!