Former NBA basketball player John Amaechi will open an anti-discrimination photo exhibition in Croatia.

Yes to Diversity, No to Discrimination will feature photographs celebrating diversity across Europe and is the conclusion of a Europe-wide competition by human rights group Amnesty International.

The show will be on display at Pu?ko Otvoreno U?ilište (the Centre for Cultural and Educational Activities) in Split and will be opened on Saturday by sportsman turned motivational speaker Amaechi, who was also the first professional player in the NBA to come out as gay.

The competition was open to amateur photographers across Europe, who were asked to submit powerful images promoting the value of a society without discrimination.

An international jury of professional photographers and human rights activists met in Brussels to choose the top 12 to display at the exhibition out of over 500 entries.

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said: 'These images are simply beautiful. It is often said that a picture tells a thousand words and each of those wonderful photographs does exactly that.

'Discrimination is one of Europe’s most pressing human rights concerns, affecting the lives of millions of people across the continent. Millions of people are still subjected to exclusion, poverty, ill-treatment, even violence, because of who they are, what they are presumed to be or what they believe.'

The competition was organised by Amnesty International’s Fight Discrimination in Europe Campaign, which focuses on discrimination against Roma, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin and religious belief.

The exhibition runs until 10 March.