Serbia To Consider Partnership Rights

Next week the Serbian Parliament will consider granting some rights to same-sex couples. The proposed law will be presented at a public hearing on June 4th.

The draft law introduces the right of inheritance for same-sex partners who live in a long-term union. In case of the death of one of them, the other would inherit the pension of the late partner, the draft law says. It also envisions that same-sex partners will be able to visit each other in hospital as members of the immediate family. The authors of the text maintain that the law is not a step towards gay marriagem an issue that remains controversial in many European countries. "These are only possible legal solutions aimed at regulating the status of people of the same sex who live together," Suzana Paunovic, director of the Serbian Office for Human Rights, said.

Same-sex marriage is banned in the Serbian constitution. Gay pride events been banned since a 2010 violent riot in which more than 200 neo-Nazi protesters were arrested.  Organizers of the riot were  sentenced to prison the following year.