The Youth and Sports Committee held its sixteenth sitting on 22 December. The sitting was chaired by the Committee Chairman Milan Vuckovic, and attended by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice Slobodan Homen and associate and representatives of the Ministry of Interior.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice Slobodan Homen presented the Bill amending and modifying the Law on the Prevention of Violence and Inappropriate Behaviour at Sporting Events, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, to the Committee members.

Having completed the debate, the Youth and Sports Committee unanimously decided to issue the following statement to the public:

The Youth and Sports Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, at its 16^th Committee sitting held on 22 December 2009, unanimously decided to severely condemn the threats made against the press by the self-proclaimed fan groups.

The Committee urges the institutions in charge to employ all the means at their disposal and their authority to guarantee the safety of all citizens. Violence, both on the pitch and off it undermines the basic legacies of civilisation and is incompatible with the fundamental social values.

The Youth and Sports Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia believes that promoters of violence must be sanctioned and cannot be allowed to conceal their violent tendencies or justify them by any idea, organisation or collectivity.