Belgrade -
A German man who participated at a conference on LGBT rights was in intensive care Saturday after he was severely beaten by unknown attackers in Belgrade, a doctor said.
Dusan Jovanovic from Belgrade's Emergency centre said the man, identified only by the initials DH by police, was admitted with "life-threatening" injuries.
"He was received with severe head injuries and bleeding, so he has undergone surgery and put in intensive care as his condition is very serious," Jovanovic told AFP.
Serbia's Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said he had ordered an urgent probe into the incident and vowed to find the perpetrators.
Police said the attack happened in downtown Belgrade, but gave no further details.
"We will not allow this kind of things to remain unpunished... and we will arrest German citizen's attackers," Stefanovic said in a statement.
A non-governmental organisation Labris that organised the conference on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) rights held a protest march along central Belgrade streets.
The incident occurred two weeks ahead of a scheduled gay pride parade, the first since more than 150 people were wounded in clashes between security forces and ultra-nationalists in 2010.
Authorities in deeply patriarchal Serbia have banned gay pride marches ever since, citing security reasons. - Sapa-AFP