20/10/2017 COURT ADOPTS CLAIM OF JOURNALIST TUFIK SOFTIĆ AGAINST THE STATE OF MONTENEGRO

The Basic Court in Podgorica adopted the claim for damages filed by journalist Tufik Softic against the state of Montenegro due to state failure to provide effective investigation of his attempted murder since 2007.

Judge Milena Brajović awarded compensation to Softić in the amount of 7000€ “in the name of incurred and future mental suffering due to violation of personal right to ineffective investigation and in the name of a threatened and future fear of renewed attempted murder”.

This is the first time ever in Montenegro that damages are awarded for lack of effective investigation.

”HRA is pleased the court confirmed our claims that the attempted murder of the journalist was not investigated at the level of minimum European standard of the right to life, which is binding on Montenegro. Unfortunately, the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office found earlier that our claims were unfounded and that everything that was supposed to be done in that case had been done. The today’s verdict should encourage state authorities to ensure an effective investigation of the attack on Softić and also that never again an attack on a journalist is investigated so superficially”, stated Tea Gorjanc-Prelevic, HRA executive director.

Regarding deficiencies of the investigation, the court found that the pre-investigative period lasted for almost seven years, of which no action whatsoever had been taken for five years and six months. Once opened, the investigation had been closed after one year and three months. The state prosecutor has heard the victim only seven years after the crime occurred. Also, out of the three persons the victim reported as those who threatened him, the state prosecutor heard two of them after seven years elapsed from the crime and one was never heard at all. The DNA analysis of traces from the baseball bat, the suspected weapon, was done only six years after the bat had been found and the analysis did not include the DNA sample of one of the suspects.

The appeal will be filed, however, regarding the awarded amount.

The trial on the lawsuit of journalist Softić began on 23 February 2017.

Tufik Softić in this case was represented by lawyer Dalibor Tomović in cooperation with HRA, thanks to the financial support of the Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) from London.

In addition to the civil claim, Softić in January 2016 filed a constitutional complaint to the Constitutional Court of Montenegro, on the occasion of abolishment of investigation of attempted murder. Constitutional complaint requested that the Constitutional Court based on finding that he was a victim of human rights violation, request the relevant investigating authorities to take all necessary measures and actions in order to identify the perpetrators in accordance with the authority of that Court. The Constitutional Court has not yet decided on appeal although the legal deadline expired in July.

Journalist Softić has been attacked for the first time in 2007 and also for the second time in 2013, when in the yard of his family home an explosive device has been activated, which caused minor material damage. The investigation also did not lead to discovery of the perpetrators.

The first instance judgment in Montenegrin is available here.

Opširnije / Read more October 20th, 2017

20/10/2017 USVOJENA TUŽBA NOVINARA TUFIKA SOFTIĆA PROTIV DRŽAVE CRNE GORE

Osnovni sud u Podgorici je usvojio tužbu novinara Tufika Softića protiv države za naknadu štete zbog propusta državnog tužilaštva i policije da sprovedu djelotvornu istragu napada na njega od 2007. godine.

Sudija Osnovnog suda u Podgorici, Milena Brajović, dosudila je Softiću 7000€ “na ime pretrpljenih i budućih duševnih bolova zbog povrede prava ličnosti tužioca usled nedjelotvorne istrage i na ime pretrpljenog i budućeg straha zbog opasnosti od ponovnog pokušaja lišenja života.”

Ovo je prva presuda u istoriji crnogorske sudske prakse kojom je tužiocu dosuđena nematerijalna šteta zbog nedjelotvorne istrage napada.

”Raduje nas što je prvostepeni sud potvrdio naše tvrdnje da pokušaj ubistva novinara Tufika Softića nije istražen na nivou minimalnog evropskog standarda prava na život, koji je Crna Gora bila dužna da obezbijedi. Nažalost, VDT je na naše tvrdnje, koje smo im uputili prije podnošenja tužbe, odgovorilo da su neosnovane i da je urađeno sve što je trebalo uraditi u cilju otkrivanja napadača. Presuda bi sada morala da podstakne sve nadležne u državi da obezbijede da se napad na Softića djelotvorno istraži i da se nikad više tako površno i nezainteresovano ne priđe istrazi napada na novinara”, izjavila je Tea Gorjanc-Prelević, izvršna direktorica HRA.

Žalba će biti izjavljena u pogledu visine dosuđenog iznosa.

Suđenje po tužbi novinara Softića je počelo 23. februara ove godine.

Tufika Softića je zastupao advokat Dalibor Tomović u saradnji sa Akcijom za ljudska prava iz Podgorice, zahvaljujući finansijskoj podršci organizacije Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) iz Londona.

Pored ove parnične tužbe, Softić je u januaru 2016. godine podnio i ustavnu žalbu Ustavnom sudu Crne Gore, posle obustavljanja istrage pokušaja ubistva. Ustavnom žalbom je zahtijevao od Ustavnog suda da na bazi utvrđenja da je bio žrtva kršenja ljudskih prava, naredi nadležnim istražnim organima da preduzmu sve neophodne mjere i radnje u cilju otkrivanja počinilaca u skladu sa ovlašćenjem koji taj sud ima. Ustavni sud još nije odlučio po žalbi, iako je zakonski rok za odlučivanje istekao u julu.

Novinar Softić je ponovo napadnut 2013. godine, kada je u dvorištu njegove porodične kuće aktivirana eksplozivna naprava, koja je pričinila manju materijalnu štetu. Istraga nije dovela ni do otkrivanja počinilaca ovog napada.

Prvostepena presuda je dostupna ovdje.

 – 22/2/2017 POČETAK SUĐENJA TUFIKA SOFTIĆA PROTIV DRŽAVE ZA NAKNADU ŠTETE

Opširnije / Read more October 20th, 2017

19/10/2017 10 YEARS FROM ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF MONTENEGRO

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of Montenegro as an independent state, Human Rights Action (HRA) emphasizes that the Constitution, following the 2013 amendments, improved the conditions for de-politicization of the judiciary and the state prosecution, but not enough, since members of the Judicial and Prosecutors’ councils, prominent lawyers, may also be members of political parties and former political party officials. HRA believes that it is in the interest of liberation of the judiciary and prosecution from political influence to ensure that within these bodies there are not persons with strong political ties.

This failure should also be considered in view of the limited scope of the judicial reform in Montenegro, which began in 2000 and the fact that the objective, independent, professional, accountable and efficient judiciary, accepting European standards, has not yet been achieved.

Now, before the expiry of the mandate of the Prosecutors’ Council in January and the Judicial Council’s in July 2018, amendments of respective laws should prescribe additional condition for the political independence of council members among prominent lawyers, thus preventing members and officials of political parties from continuing their career at the top of the judiciary that should remain independent of political influence. It should also be ensured that at least one member of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Council be representatives of NGOs, aiming at more transparent and accountable work of these bodies.

Regarding the Constitutional Human Rights guarantees, the Constitution did not provide those guarantees at the level of the previously governing Charter of Human and Minority Rights and Civil Liberties of Serbia and Montenegro (so called “Small Charter”), HRA highlighted immediately after the adoption of the Constitution in November 2007. There remained no “guarantee of acquired rights”, that is, a guarantee that the achieved level of human and national minorities’ rights will not be reduced. Also, the Small Charter did not limit marriage to the union of a man and woman, as the Constitution of Montenegro, but defined it as a community based on the freely given consent of the future spouses, which allowed introduction of the marriage of persons of the same sex.

Other omissions in the provisions on human rights in the Constitution of Montenegro, which HRA highlighted in the initiative for its amendments in November 2007, in practice are being overcome by direct application of international treaties and practices by international bodies, in particular of the European Court of Human Rights, to which judges in Montenegro now adhere more often and better than ten years ago. However, we still believe that the guarantees of human rights in the Constitution should be prescribed more substantially and precisely.

Finally, when amending the Constitution in 2013, the recommendation of the Venice Commission was not adopted to improve the guarantee of independence of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms (Ombudsman) by the fact that a person for this important function for the protection of human rights would be elected by a qualified 2/3 majority, as was envisaged for the election of judges of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme State Prosecutor and four members of the Judicial Council.

CONTEXT: During 2006, HRA attempted to contribute to the introduction of quality guarantees of human rights in the Constitution of Montenegro. We participated in the debate on the first, expert draft of the Constitution, and then in the public debate on the Draft Constitution. Although the original Draft was considerably improved, human rights guarantees have not reached the level of the Small Charter, although that had been promised to the Council of Europe at the time. The Constitution failed to incorporate the formerly existing guarantee of acquired rights, instructions for the interpretation of human and minority rights in accordance with international standards and practice of international bodies, space for enabling marriage of persons of the same sex. The Constitution does not contain: a precise guarantee of the right to life, the right to a judicial appeal in every case of deprivation of liberty (habeas corpus), prohibition of humiliating and inhumane punishment, prohibition of detention for debt, right to effective legal remedy in the event of a violation of human rights and all guarantees of the right to a fair trial.

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Opširnije / Read more October 20th, 2017

19/10/2017 10 GODINA OD USVAJANJA USTAVA CRNE GORE

Povodom 10 godina od usvajanja Ustava Crne Gore kao nezavisne države, NVO Akcija za ljudska prava (HRA) ističe da su Ustavom, poslije amandmana usvojenih 2013. godine, unaprijeđeni uslovi za depolitizaciju sudstva i tužilaštva, ali nedovoljno, jer je dozvoljeno da članovi Sudskog i Tužilačkog savjeta, istaknuti pravnici, budu i članovi političkih stranaka i bivši funkcioneri političkih stranaka. HRA smatra da je u interesu oslobađanja sudstva i tužilaštva od političkog uticaja neophodno obezbijediti da u ovim tijelima ne budu osobe s jakim političkim vezama.

Ovaj propust treba posmatrati i u svijetlu ograničenih dometa reforme pravosuđa koja u Crnoj Gori traje od 2000. godine i činjenice da zadati cilj, nezavisno, profesionalno, odgovorno i efikasno pravosuđe, koje prihvata evropske standarde, još nije postignut.

Sada bi, prije nego što Tužilačkom savjetu istekne mandat u januaru, a Sudskom savjetu u julu 2018. godine, izmjenom zakona trebalo propisati dodatni uslov političke nezavisnosti članova savjeta iz reda istaknutih pravnika, i tako spriječiti da članovi i funkcioneri političkih stranaka nastavljaju karijeru u vrhu pravosuđa koje treba da bude nezavisno od političkog uticaja. Takođe bi trebalo obezbijediti da bar po jedan član/ica Sudskog, odnosno Tužilačkog savjeta budu predstavnici NVO, u cilju odgovornijeg i otvorenijeg rada ovih tijela.

Što se tiče Ustavnih garancija ljudskih prava, HRA je odmah po usvajanju Ustava u novembru 2007. ukazala da Ustav nije obezbijedio te garancije na nivou prethodno važeće Povelje o ljudskim i manjinskim pravima i građanskim slobodama Srbije i Crne Gore (Mala Povelja). Prije svega, izostalo je ”jemstvo stečenih prava”, tj. garancija da se dostignuti nivo ljudskih i manjinskih prava neće smanjivati. Takođe, Mala Povelja brak nije ograničavala na zajednicu muškarca i žene, kao Ustav Crne Gore, već ga je definisala kao zajednicu zasnovanu na slobodnoj volji budućih supružnika, što je omogućavalo uvođenje bračne zajednice osoba istog pola.

Drugi propusti u odredbama o ljudskim pravima u Ustavu Crne Gore, na koje je HRA ukazala u inicijativi za njegove izmjene i dopune 2007. godine, u praksi se prevazilaze neposrednom primjenom međunarodnih ugovora i prakse međunarodnih tijela, posebno Evropskog suda za ljudska prava, na koju se sada sudije u Crnoj Gori pozivaju više i bolje nego prije deset godina. Međutim, i dalje smatramo da bi garancije ljudskih prava u Ustavu trebalo da su propisane preciznije i sadržajnije.

Konačno, prilikom izmjena Ustava 2013. godine nije usvojena preporuka Venecijanske komisije da se unaprijedi garancija nezavisnosti Zaštitnika/ce ljudskih prava i sloboda (Ombudsmana) tako što bi se i osoba za ovu važnu funkciju za zaštitu ljudskih prava birala kvalifikovanom, 2/3 većinom, kao što je te godine amandmanima predviđeno za izbor sudija Ustavnog suda, Vrhovnog državnog tužioca i četiri člana/ice Sudskog savjeta.

 

KONTEKST: HRA je tokom 2006. godine nastojala da doprinese uvođenju kvalitetnih garancija ljudskih prava u Ustav Crne Gore. Učestvovali smo u raspravi o prvom, ekspertskom nacrtu Ustava, a zatim i u javnoj raspravi o Nacrtu ustava. Iako je prvobitni Nacrt značajno poboljšan, garancije ljudskih prava nijesu dostigle nivo Povelje o ljudskim i manjinskim pravima i građanskim slobodama Srbije i Crne Gore – Male Povelje, kao što je bilo obećano Savjetu Evrope da će biti učinjeno. Izostalo je jemstvo stečenih prava, uputstvo za tumačenje ljudskih i manjinskih prava u skladu sa međunarodnim standardima i praksom međunarodnih tijela, prostor za omogućavanje braka osobama istog pola. Tekst Ustava ne sadrži: preciznu garanciju prava na život, pravo na žalbu sudu u svakom slučaju lišenja slobode (habeas corpus), zabranu ponižavajućeg i nečovječnog kažnjavanja, zabranu zatvora zbog duga, pravo na djelotvorni pravni lijek za slučaj kršenja ljudskih prava i neke važne garancije pravičnog suđenja.

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Opširnije / Read more October 19th, 2017

10/10/2017 THE WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY – RTCG WILL PRESENT THE FILM „BEYOND EXCLUSION“

On World Mental Health Day, Human Rights Action (HRA) recalls that people with mental illnesses need support and understanding of their families, state authorities and society as a whole regarding their treatment and realization of the right to a dignified life based on respect for human rights.

TVCG 1 will show tonight the documentary “Beyond exclusion”, dealing with difficulties encountered by people with mental illness. The film was created within the project “Beyond exclusion – effective rights for mental health patients”, implemented from January 2016 to June 2017 by HRA, Center for Women’s and Peace Education ANIMA and Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC) with the support of the European Union and Kotor Municipality. Film will be shown on the TVCG 1 channel starting at 20: 45h.

Today, we use the opportunity to remind that additional education of the population on mental illness is necessary because ignorance leads to fear and embarrassment, aggravation of the disease, stigmatization and discrimination of persons with mental illnesses. Last year, HRA reported that almost two-thirds of the population of Montenegro did not have basic knowledge of mental illness, one-third believed in wrong information (such as that a mentally ill person are usually dangerous to people around them or that a person who has recovered from a mental illness is not able to return to work), while the other third had no opinion.

Human rights of persons with mental illnesses are most often protected as rights of person with psycho-social disability. This means that it is not permissible for such persons to be deprived of legal capacity or to be treated without informed consent. It is forbidden to use coercion in their treatment and to be forced to live in a psychiatric hospital because they have no place to stay. It is necessary to involve people with mental illnesses in deciding on their own treatment and life in general, with appropriate support, and to enable them to live in community in accordance with international standards that bind Montenegro. We support the beginning of efforts of the Ministry of Health to develop a deinstitutionalization plan for patients from the Special Psychiatric Hospital in Kotor.

Within the above mentioned project, the Report on respecting of human rights of patients placed in psychiatric institutions in Montenegro and the Action Plan for Improvement of Occupational Therapy in the Special Psychiatric Hospital in Kotor were prepared, and projects of local NGOs that directly helped to carry out various activities in accordance with the Action Plan were financed and successfully implemented. Three public lectures were held in the hospital in order to improve information and raise awareness of rights and needs of people with mental illness. Reports “Models of deinstitutionalization and methods of protecting mental health in community” and “Deprivation of Legal Capacity in Montenegro – analysis of the implementation of the Law on non-contentious procedure and other relevant legislation” have been produced. Finally, two more surveys were conducted –one on patients with mental illnesses, as well as a focused  opinion  polling  of  patients  and  their  doctors  on  discrimination  and  other violations of rights of persons with mental health conditions.

HRA hope that the achievements of this project will be used by the competent institutions in the process of future harmonization of regulations and treatment of persons with mental illnesses with international human rights standards.

Opširnije / Read more October 11th, 2017

10/10/2017 SVJETSKI DAN MENTALNOG ZDRAVLJA – RTCG PRIKAZUJE FILM ”VAN IZOLACIJE”

Opširnije / Read more October 10th, 2017

4/10/2017 SUPREME STATE PROSECUTOR SHOULD LEAD ACTIVITIES OF THE BASIC STATE PROSECUTORS OFFICE IN THE INVESTIGATION OF TORTURE

NGO Human Rights Action (HRA) in principle welcomes new activities of the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica in the investigation of police ill-treatment of citizens Branimir Vukčević and Momčilo Baranin in Podgorica Jewellers’ Street (“Zlatarska” street), and police torture of Milorad Martinović in Jovan Tomašević Street, following the decision of the Constitutional Court that in these cases prohibition of torture had been violated by lack of effective investigation in addition to actual torture acts.

However, HRA expects from the Supreme State Prosecutor to ensure that the investigation in these cases is carried out in accordance with European standards, as the Constitutional Court requested this from him in the Vukčević case. This especially bearing in mind that the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica, which is competent for the investigation, informed the Constitutional Court that in the investigation of police torture in the Jewellers’ Street they have already taken “all legal mechanisms” and suggested to the Court to reject HRA constitutional complaints as unfounded. Bearing in mind the previous failure of the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office, as well as the view that they were not responsible for such a failure, it would not come as a surprise that actions now taken by the same people are not part of a serious plan, but only a formal response to the order of the Constitutional Court.

The first results from the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office are expected at the end of October, when the quarterly deadline for the execution of the decision of the Constitutional Court in the Vukčević – Jewelry Street case expires. The decision in the case of Milorad Martinović, which was adopted on 25^th of July this year, has not yet been published in the Official Gazette. The deadlines for the implementation of the Constitutional Court’s decisions begin to run since the publication, so we expect the decision in the case of Martinović to be published soon.

The investigations of cases of police torture were a good opportunity for the state prosecution to show that it was not “one and the same” with the executive power and that it was ready to prosecute those responsible for crimes, regardless of the function they perform. However, although the state prosecution, after considerable and lenghty public pressure, accused two alleged perpetrators of torture against Martinović, who surrendered themselves, and the commander of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit for concealing other perpetrators,many other police officers were obviously responsible for the case of police torture on Podgorica streets on 14^th and 24^th October 2015.

The top of the Police Directorate in these cases is equally responsible for failing to carry out a serious investigation, as well as the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office, because it did not provide identification of responsible policemen, although those men communicated with the headquarters with the business system of communication and acted in organized actions, and not independently. The Police Directorate informed the Constitutional Court, as stated in the Vukčević decision, that “the service for recording the realized communications in the TETRA system of the Ministry of Interior is not in function and that the Directorate for Telecommunication and Electronic Technologies does not have records of the achieved communications in that system”. This fact in itself requires a special investigation and determination of liability for such a situation, if it indeed occurred, so we expect it to be covered by a new investigation. Both the Police Directorate and the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in the statements to the Constitutional Court announced that the perpetrators of torture could not be identified because they were masked and the Police Directorate emphasised that the recording of the TETRA communication system was not in function.

The concealment of those ready to beat citizens and violate human rights, who are still working in the Police Directorate, is inappropriate for state bodies in a democratic society. Therefore, the Supreme State Prosecutor in order to regain trust in that institution, should ensure the prosecution of not only direct perpetrators of torture, but all of them, regardless of their function in the Police Directorate, who to date contributed to the obstruction of the investigation in these cases and thus impeded justice.

BACKGROUND: After numerous complaints and letters to the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office on the need to conduct an effective investigation of police torture on Podgorica streets after the end of political protests on 24^th of October 24 2015, HRA filed three constitutional complaints for Branimir Vukčević and Momčilo Baranin, who were victims of police torture in the Jewellers’ Street, and Milorad Martinović, who was severely beaten by at least 30 policemen in Jovan Tomasević street. In June 2017, the Constitutional Court found that the State Prosecutor’s Office did not provide an effective investigation in accordance with European standards in all three cases and ordered the prosecution, in the case of Jewellers’ street, to take “other appropriate measures and actions to enforce a fundamental, independent investigation, which should ensure the identification and prosecution of police officers of the Montenegrin Police Directorate – Special Anti-Terrorist Units, who are suspected of committing the criminal offense of abuse at the detriment of the applicant (…).”

Decisions of the Constitutional Court in the cases of Vukčević and Baranin are published and available at: http://www.hraction.org/?p=13185.

Opširnije / Read more October 5th, 2017

4/10/2017 POVODOM DJELOVANJA ODT U ISTRAZI TORTURE

NVO Akcija za ljudska prava (HRA) načelno pozdravlja nove aktivnosti Osnovnog državnog tužilaštva u Podgorici u istrazi policijskog zlostavljanja građana Branimira Vukčevića i Momčila Baranina u Zlatarskoj ulici, i torture nad Miloradom Martinovićem u ulici Jovana Tomaševića, posle odluka Ustavnog suda (US) da u tim slučajevima nije sprovedena djelotvorna istraga i da je i tako prekršena zabrana mučenja.

Međutim, očekujemo da Vrhovni državni tužilac (VDT) obezbijedi da se u ovim slučajevima sprovede istraga u skladu s evropskim standardima, kako je Ustavni sud to od njega i zahtijevao u odluci u slučaju Vukčević. Ovo posebno imajući u vidu da nadležno Osnovno državno tužilaštvo u Podgorici (ODT) smatra da su u istrazi policijske torture u Zlatarskoj ulici već preduzeli ”sve zakonom dozvoljene mehanizime” pa su i predložili Ustavnom sudu da se ustavne žalbe HRA odbiju kao neosnovane. Imajući u vidu prethodni neuspjeh ODT, kao i stav da za taj neuspjeh nisu odgovorni, ne bi nas iznenadilo da aktivnosti koje sada preduzimaju isti ti ljudi nisu dio ozbiljnog plana, već samo formalni odgovor na naredbe Ustavnog suda.

Prvi rezultati se od ODT očekuju krajem oktobra, kada ističe tromjesečni rok za izvršavanje odluke Ustavnog suda u predmetu Vukčević – Zlatarska ulica. Odluka u slučaju Milorada Martinovića, koja je donijeta 25. jula ove godine, još uvijek nije objavljena u Službenom listu. Rokovi za izvršavanje odluka Ustavnog suda počinju da teku od objavljivanja, pa očekujemo i da odluka u slučaju Martinović ubrzo bude objavljena.

Istrage ovih slučajeva policijske torture su bile dobra prilika za državno tužilaštvo da pokaže da nije ”ista ruka” s izvršnom vlasti i da je spremno da procesuira sve koji su odgovorni za krivična djela, bez obzira na funkciju na kojoj se nalaze. Međutim, iako je državno tužilaštvo, posle znatnog i dugotrajnog pritiska javnosti, optužilo dvojicu navodnih izvršilaca torture nad Martinovićem, koji su se sami prijavili, i komandanta SAJ za prikrivanje drugih izvršilaca, za slučajeve policijske torture na podgoričkim ulicama 14. i 24. oktobra 2015. su očigledno odgovorni mnogi drugi.

Vrh Uprave policije je u ovim slučajevima podjednako odgovoran za nesprovođenje ozbiljne istrage, kao i ODT, jer nije obezbijedio identifikaciju odgovornih policajaca, iako su oni komunicirali poslovnim sistemom veze i postupali u organizovanim akcijama, a ne samostalno. Uprava policije je Ustavni sud uvjeravala, kako je navedeno u odluci u slučaju Vukčević, da ”servis za snimanje ostvarenih komunikacija u TETRA sistemu MUP-a nije u funkciji i da Odjeljenje za telekomunikacione i elektronske tehnologije ne raspolaže sa snimcima ostvarenih komunikacija u tom sistemu”. Ova činjenica sama po sebi zahtijeva posebnu istragu i utvrđivanje odgovornosti za takvo stanje, ako je bilo takvo, pa očekujemo da bude obuhvaćena novom istragom. I Uprava policije i ODT u izjavama Ustavnom sudu su saopštili da izvršioci torture nisu mogli da budu identifikovani jer su bili maskirani, a Uprava policije i da snimanje komunikacionog TETRA sistema nije bilo u funkciji.

Prikrivanje batinaša i kršitelja ljudskih prava, koji i dalje rade u Upravi policije, neprimjereno je državnim organima u demokratskom društvu, pa bi VDT, da bi povratio povjerenje u tu instituciju, trebalo da obezbijedi ne samo da se procesuiraju neposredni izvršioci torture, već i svi oni, bez obzira na funkciju na kojoj se nalaze u Upravi policije, koji su do danas doprinijeli nesprovođenju istrage u ovim slučajevima i tako ometali pravdu.

PODSJETNIK: posle brojnih apela i pisama VDT-u o potrebi sprovođenja djelotvorne istrage policijske torture na podgoričkim ulicama posle okončanja političkih protesta 24. oktobra 2015. godine, HRA je Ustavnom sudu podnijela tri ustavne žalbe za Branimira Vukčevića i Momčila Baranina, koji su bili žrtve policijske torture u Zlatarskoj ulici, i Milorada Martinovića, koga je bar 30 policajaca teško pretuklo u ulici Jovana Tomaševića. U junu 2017. godine, Ustavni sud je utvrdio da državno tužilaštvo nije obezbijedilo djelotvornu istragu u skladu s evropskim standardima u sva tri slučaja i naložilo tužilaštvu, u slučaju Zlatarske ulice, da preduzme ”druge odgovarajuće mjere i radnje, radi sprovođenja temeljnje, brze i nezavisne istrage, koja treba da osigura identifikovanje i krivično gonjenje policijskih službenika Uprave policije Crne Gore – Specijalne antiterorističke jedinice, za koje se osnovano sumnja da su, na štetu podnosioca, izvršili krivično djelo zlostavljanje (…).”

Objavljene odluke US u slučajevima Vukčevića i Baranina dostupne su ovdje.

Opširnije / Read more October 4th, 2017

22/9/2017 HOW TO COMPLAIN ON THE WORK OF A JUDGE, COURT, PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, LAWYER, NOTARIES, PUBLIC BAILIFFS, COURT EXPERTS AND MEDIATORS?

NGO Human Rights Action (HRA) and Centre for Monitoring and Research (CeMI) published the brochure “How to complain on the work of a judge, court, public prosecutor, lawyer, notaries, public bailiffs, court experts and mediators”. The brochure has been distributed today to the citizens of Montenegro with the daily Dan and will be available at info desks in the courts in the coming days.

The brochure has been prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, Bar Association, Center for Mediation, Association of Court Experts, Chamber of Bailiffs and Notary Chamber and the Judicial Council and Supreme State Prosecution agreed with its content. It was developed as part of the “Judicial Reform Monitoring” project implemented by HRA and CeMi in the period 2014-2017, with the financial support of the European Union and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The public opinion poll executed in the project has shown that most citizens did not know to whom they could complain on the work of the members of judicial and related professions, so the brochure is our contribution to their better information.

Regular complaining against unprofessional work of members of judicial and related professions should challenge institutions obliged to ensure professionalism to improve protection of the rights of citizens.

Opširnije / Read more September 22nd, 2017

22/9/2017 KOME SE ŽALITI NA (NE)RAD SUDIJA, SUDA, DRŽAVNIH TUŽILACA, ADVOKATA, NOTARA, JAVNIH IZVRŠITELJA, SUDSKIH VJEŠTAKA I POSREDNIKA?

NVO Akcija za ljudska prava (HRA) i Centar za monitoring i istraživanje (CeMI) objavili su brošuru „Kome se žaliti na (ne)rad sudija, suda, državnih tužilaca, advokata, notara, javnih izvršitelja, sudskih vještaka i posrednika“. Brošura se danas distribuira građankama i građanima uz dnevni list Dan, a u narednim danima će biti dostupna i na info pultovima u sudovima.

Brošura je pripremljena u saradnji sa Ministarstvom pravde, Advokatskom komorom, Centrom za posredovanje, Udruženjem sudskih vještaka, Komorom javnih izvršitelja i Notarskom komorom, a s njenim sadržajem su se saglasili i Sudski savjet i Vrhovno državno tužlaštvo. Izrađena je u okviru projekta „Monitoring reforme pravosuđa“, koji su HRA i CeMi sproveli u periodu od 15. avgusta 2014. godine do 15. aprila 2017. godine uz finansijsku podršku Evropske unije i Ambasade Kraljevine Holandije.

Istraživanje javnog mnjenja koje smo sproveli u pomenutom projektu pokazalo je da većina građanki i građana nisu znali kome mogu da se žale na rad pripadnika profesija o kojima govori brošura, pa je brošura naš doprinos njihovoj boljoj obaviještenosti.

Podnošenje pritužbi na neprofesionalan rad pripadnika pravosudnih profesija bi trebalo da dovede do bolje zaštite prava i boljeg rada institucija koje su dužne da obezbjede profesionalnost onih o kojima govori brošura.

Opširnije / Read more September 22nd, 2017

16/8/2017 UN Komitet za prava osoba sa invaliditetom sjutra i preksjutra o inicijalnom izvještaju Crne Gore o tome kako država primjenjuje Konvenciju o pravima osoba sa invaliditetom

Komitet UN za prava osoba sa invaliditetom razmatraće u četvrtak i petak 17. i 18. avgusta inicijalni izvještaj Crne Gore o tome kako država primjenjuje Konvenciju o pravima osoba sa invaliditetom.

NVO Akcija za ljudska prava (HRA) je u saradnji sa partnerskim organizacijama Centrom za žensko i mirovno obrazovanje ANIMA iz Kotora i Mental Disability Advocacy Centre (MDAC) iz Budimpešte pripremila i dostavila UN Komitetu alternativni izvještaj o tome kako se Konvencija primjenjuje u Crnoj Gori posebno u odnosu na osobe sa mentalnim i intelektualnim invaliditetom.

Ukazali smo da propisi nisu usklađeni sa Konvencijom jer podstiču diskriminaciju na nekoliko načina. Prvo, sistem ne prepoznaje potrebu da se u skladu s Konvencijom poštuje volja osobe iako je mentalno oboljela ili ima intelektualni invaliditet. Omogućen je sistem koji takve osobe lišava poslovne sposobnosti i ne nudi im podršku prilikom donošenja odluka. Propisi omogućavaju i prisilnu hospitalizaciju i prisilno liječenje, uključujući fizičko i hemijsko sputavanje, odnosno institucionalizaciju osoba sa invaliditetom, bez dovoljnih garancija protiv zlostavljanja. Država ne preduzima dovoljno mjera da osobama s invaliditetom obezbijedi uživanje njihovog prava na samostalan život u okviru zajednice i opstruira pravo na inkluzivno obrazovanje djece s invaliditetom. U ovom kontekstu je posebno ukazano na problem tzv. socijalnih pacijenata u Specijalnoj bolnici za psihijatriju u Kotoru i neodrživo angažovanje asistenata u nastavi za djecu sa invaliditetom koji su slabo, a često i neredovno plaćeni za svoj rad.

Konačno, navedeno je da država u oblasti poštovanja prava osoba s invaliditetom ne prikuplja podatke, tj. ne vodi odgovarajuću statistiku koja bi obezbijedila praćenje stanja, kao i njegovog unaprjeđenja.

Očekujemo da će alternativni izvještaj doprinijeti da Komitet, nakon zasijedanja, usvoji konkretne zaključke i preporuke koje bi, ako se primijene, mogli značajno unaprijediti položaj osoba sa invaliditetom u Crnoj Gori.

Osim HRA, ANIME i MDAC-a, alternativni izvještaj je podnijela i Neformalna koalicija organizacija osoba s invaliditetom Crne Gore, čija je predstavnica Marina Vujačić i neposredno predstavila izvještaj članovima Komiteta u Ženevi. U izvještaju koalicije su takođe pomenuti najvažniji nalazi HRA.

Inicijalni izvještaj Crne Gore kao i alternativni izvještaji NVO su dostupni na:  http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1158&Lang=en.

Opširnije / Read more August 16th, 2017

28/7/2017 HRA WELCOMES THE DECISION OF THE MEDIA COUNCIL FOR SELF-REGULATION TO DEAL WITH COMPLAINTS AGAINST ITS MEMBERS ONLY

Human Rights Action (HRA) welcomes the decision of the Media Council for Self-Regulation (MSS) to deal with complaints against violations of ethics relating exclusively to the media that are members of that organization.

Meaning that, from now on, all complaints of violations of the Code of Journalists of Montenegro that will be addressed to MSS, relating to the articles published in the daily newspapers Dan, Vijesti, Monitor, and reports on TV Vijesti, will be forwarded to the ombudspersons of these media. Also, MSS will no longer act as a second instance body on complaints against decisions of the ombudspersons of those media.

By this decision, the MSS accepted the recommendation from the project “Monitoring of Journalistic Self-Regulatory Bodies in Montenegro”. The project has been implemented by HRA with the assisstance of Dragoljub Duško Vuković and Marijana Buljan from September 2012 to September 2014 thanks to the support of the British Embassy in Podgorica. Reports from this project testify to the development of self-regulation in the media in Montenegro and are available here.

HRA is especially pleased with the expressed willingness of the MSS to contribute to the improvement of relations in the media community, overcoming existing divisions and joint efforts to enhance professional standards and restore confidence in independent and objective journalism, as stated in their announcement. We have been expecting such determination for a long time and continuously advocated for it.

Most importantly, all influential media in Montenegro now accept some form of self-regulation, either as MSS or their own ombudspersons. HRA expects further and continuous cooperation between these bodies on the uniform implementation of the Code of Ethics of Journalists to provide citizens with the appropriate standard of responsible reporting.

Opširnije / Read more August 2nd, 2017

28/7/2017 HRA POZDRAVLJA ODLUKU MSS DA SE BAVI ŽALBAMA SAMO PROTIV SVOJIH ČLANOVA

Akcija za ljudska prava (HRA) pozdravlja odluku Medijskog savjeta za samoregulaciju (MSS) da se ubuduće bavi žalbama na kršenje etike koje se odnose isključivo na medije koji su članovi te organizacije.

Ovo znači da će, od sada, MSS žalbe na kršenje Kodeksa novinara/ki Crne Gore koje mu budu upućene, a koje se odnose na tekstove objavljene u dnevnim listovima Dan, Vijesti, nedjeljniku Monitor, kao i na priloge TV Vijesti, prosleđivati ombudsmanima tih medija. Takođe, MSS više neće postupati ni kao drugostepeni organ po žalbama protiv odluka ombudsmana tih medija.

Ovom odlukom MSS-a je prihvaćena preporuka iz projekta “Monitoring novinarskih samoregulatornih tijela u Crnoj Gori”, koji je HRA uz pomoć Dragoljuba Duška Vukovića i Marijane Buljan sprovodila od septembra 2012. do septembra 2014. godine uz podršku Britanske ambasade u Podgorici. Izvještaji iz tog projekta koji svjedoče o razvoju samoregulacije u medijima u Crnoj Gori dostupni su ovdje.

Posebno nam je drago zbog izražene spremnosti MSS da, kako su u saopštenju naveli, doprinesu poboljšanju odnosa u medijskoj zajednici, prevazilaženju postojećih podjela i zajedničkim naporima da bi se unaprijedili profesionalni standardi i vratilo povjerenje u nezavisno i objektivno novinarstvo. Dugo smo očekivali takvu njihovu odluku i u kontinuitetu se zalagali da do nje dođe.

Danas svi uticajni mediji u Crnoj Gori prihvataju neki oblik samoregulacije, bilo kao MSS ili svoje ombudsmane. Očekujemo dalju kontinuiranu saradnju ovih tijela na ujednačavanju primjene Kodeksa novinara/ki Crne Gore, da bi se građanima obezbijedio adekvatan standard odgovornog informisanja.

Opširnije / Read more July 28th, 2017

25/7/2017 THE STATE SHOULD NOT SUPPORT POLICE TORTURE BY INEFFECTIVE INVESTIGATIONS

On the occasion of the Constitutional Court of Montenegro passing decision to adopt the constitutional appeal of Miodrag Martinovic and establish that in this case of police torture the State Prosecutor’s Office failed to conduct an effective investigation in line with the international standard of the prohibition of torture, the Executive Director of Human Rights Action, Ms. Tea Gorjanc Prelevic, who submitted constitutional appeal on behalf of Mr. Martinovic, said:

”The Constitutional Court again confirmed that the state should not support police torture by frivolous investigations. The Constitutional Court found that the State prosecution failed to oblige domestic and international legal standards of effective investigation of police torture against Milorad Martinovic and obliged the State prosecution to fulfill that duty.

Following this second decision by which the Constitutional Court established that the State Prosecutor’s Office failed to conduct a proper investigation against police officers in relation to police torture on Podgorica streets after political protest in October 2015, HRA expects the Supreme State Prosecutor to announce how he intends to provide for the implementation of the Constitutional Court’s decisions and whether he intends to reform the approach of state prosecutors towards investigations of abuse of police authority.

The Constitutional Court of Montenegro in this way creates a positive domestic practice of protection against torture that the citizens would otherwise have to seek before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg or the UN Committee Against Torture.”

HRA will comment on the decision of the Constitutional Court in more detail following its publication in the Official Gazette of Montenegro.

2/5/2017 CONSTITUTIONAL APPEAL DUE TO INEFFECTIVE INVESTIGATION OF TORTURE AGAINST MARTINOVIĆ

30/3/2016 PROCESSING ONLY TWO POLICE OFFICERS FOR THE BEATING OF MILORAD MARTINOVIC DEFEATS THE RULE OF LAW

Opširnije / Read more July 25th, 2017

25/7/2017 DRŽAVA NE SMIJE DA PODRŽAVA POLICIJSKU TORTURU NEOZBILJNIM ISTRAGAMA

Povodom odluke Ustavnog suda Crne Gore da usvoji ustavnu žalbu Miodraga Martinovića i utvrdi da je u slučaju policijske torture prema njemu državno tužilaštvo sprovelo nedjelotvornu istragu ispod međunarodnog standarda zabrane mučenja, izvršna direktorica Akcije za ljudska prava, Tea Gorjanc-Prelević, koja je za Martinovića podnijela ustavnu žalbu, izjavljuje:

”Ustavni sud je i ovom presudom potvrdio da država ne smije da podržava policijsku torturu neozbiljnim istragama. Ustavni sud je utvrdio da državno tužilaštvo nije ispunilo svoju obavezu prema domaćim i međunarodnim pravnim standardima da obezbijedi djelotvornu istragu policijske torture nad Miloradom Martinovićem i da je dužno da tu obavezu ispuni.

Posle ove, sada već druge odluke kojom je Ustavni sud utvrdio da državno tužilaštvo nije sprovelo ozbiljnu istragu protiv pripadnika policije povodom policijske torture na podgoričkim ulicama posle političkih protesta u oktobru 2015. godine, očekujemo da se Vrhovni državni tužilac izjasni o ovim odlukama i saopšti što namjerava da preduzme da se sprovedu odluke Ustavnog suda i namjerava li da reformiše pristup državnih tužilaca istragama zloupotreba ovlašćenja u okviru policije.

Ustavni sud Crne Gore na ovaj način stvara pozitivnu domaću praksu zaštite od torture, koju bi inače građani morali da ostvaruju pred Evropskim sudom za ljudska prava u Strazburu ili Komitetom protiv torture Ujedinjenih nacija.”

HRA će detaljnije komentarisati odluku Ustavnog suda kada ona bude objavljena u Službenom listu.

23/7/2017 ZAHTJEV DA USTAVNI SUD SJEDNICU 25.7.2017, NA KOJOJ ĆE SE RASPRAVLJATI I O USTAVNOJ ŽALBI U PREDMETU MILORADA MARTINOVIĆA, OTVORI ZA JAVNOST

30/3/2016 PROCESUIRANJE SAMO DVOJICE POLICAJACA ZA PREBIJANJE MILORADA MARTINOVIĆA JE PORAZ VLADAVINE PRAVA

2/5/2017 USTAVNA ŽALBA ZBOG NEDJELOTVORNE ISTRAGE TORTURE NAD MARTINOVIĆEM

Opširnije / Read more July 25th, 2017