Branko Ruzic (BETAPHOTO/Milan Obradovic)
On May 4, the non-governmental Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) called on Minister of Education Branko Ruzic to resign due to “the political instrumentalization” of the tragic shooting at Belgrade’s Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary, which claimed the lives of eight students and a security guard.
“With his shameful statement during the press conference at the Government Headquarters, [in which he claimed] that the ‘system did not fail’ but rather accused ‘Western values, the Internet and video games’ for the attack on the children, teacher and security guard, Minister Ruzic did not take responsibility and resign, but rather seized the opportunity to callously take political advantage of a great tragedy,” the YIHR said.
According to the NGO, the government removing the minister would constitute a significant political step and “an appropriate sanction” for Ruzic’s words on the tragedy. Moreover, the public, and especially children, need an efficient system for preventing various forms of violence along with education on the importance of mental health, rather than “excuses used to eschew accountability,” the YIHR stressed.
The youth initiative also called attention to Belgrade Police Chief Veselin Milic, because he displayed the list of intended victims and mentioned the shooter by name – all of whom are minors. “The commissioner for information of public importance and personal data protection, the ombudsman, the Ministry of the Interior’s Internal Affairs Bureau and the Prosecutor’s Office must determine the legality of making this information public,” the NGO insisted in its statement.
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