It is worrying with how much vindictiveness, contempt and anger was spoken in the National Assembly of Serbia these days about one of the most important and respected scientific and educational institutions of our society and their representatives. Instead of the highest legislative body in the Republic of Serbia debating the dismissal of one of the representatives of the executive power, whom the University of Belgrade recently condemned for plagiarizing his doctoral thesis and initiated the procedure for its annulment, we are witnessing that for the umpteenth time the culprits are declared victims and that an important and sensitive process is turning into a farce. One gets the impression that individual MPs are behaving like angry fans at a football match who, enraged because the referee sent off one of their players, would now prefer to rush onto the field and take justice into their own hands.
It is particularly worrying that the president of the Parliamentary Committee for Education, Science, Technological Development and Information Society participates in this, who called the decision of the Committee for Professional Ethics of the University of Belgrade a "rebellious action at the University" and called on the parliamentary majority to deal with the University with the words "or they will you or you will them". As this is not about a football match or angry fans, but about the most important institutions of this society, we demand from the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to condemn the statements of certain members of parliament and, due to the threats made against the University of Belgrade, to initiate the emergency procedure for the dismissal of Muamer Zukorlić from the position of chairman of the parliamentary committee for education.
Otherwise, we will be forced to inform the representatives of all relevant international organizations about the open threats and intimidation to which academic institutions and their employees in Serbia are increasingly exposed and invite colleagues and other interested parties to join our request. We remind you that the highest institutions of government must be the guarantor of the university's autonomy, and not instruments for controlling and disciplining the university and its employees.
