Initiative to pardon citizens of municipality Beranselo, who were sentenced to imprisonment and fines for “obstructing of official persons”, i.e. for peaceful protests through which they were protecting their right to a healthy environment guaranteed by the Constitution, a number of applicable laws and ratified international agreements, was submitted today to the President of Montenegro. One of the punishedpersons was a 95-year-old resident of Beranselo from the photograph below.

The initiative was organized by NGO OZON, and supported by HRA and 50 other non-governmental organizations in Montenegro, MunicipalityBeranseloand Mr. BožidarVučinić, the author of the study Site selection for regional sanitary landfill for municipalities Berane, Rožaje, Andrijevica i Plav. The initiative, along with the request to pardon thepunished citizens, also contains a request for President Vujanović to urgently address the contentious issue of illegal landfills in Vasovevode,where the Public Utility Company has been illegally disposing waste for years, with the assistance of the police. For almost three years,the citizens of Beranselohave been unsuccessfully trying to stop this and establish the rule of law in their immediate living environment. This initiative is a support to them – the citizens of Beranselo and the alleged ecological state of Montenegro, who have been turned from victims into perpetrators.

Initiative for pardon is available here.

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Response of the President of Montenegro, Filip Vujanović, regarding the legal merits of the Initiative to pardon citizens of Beranselo is available (in Montenegrin) here. As response to the President, the Ecological Movement “Ozone” submitted additional reasoning for the Initiative for pardon, and once again urged the President of Montenegro to pardon citizens who were sentenced to prison and fines. Reasoning submitted to the President is available here.

Complaint submitted by the Ecological Movement “Ozone” to Police Directorate, Branch Unit (BU) Berane, against the Public Utility Company Berane for illegal waste disposal in illegal landfills of hazardous waste Vasove vode, as well as the response of District State Prosecutor Berane are available (in Montenegrin) here.

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Since the arrest of citizens of Beranselo, who had been convicted because of peaceful protests, started yesterday, the Ecological Movement “Ozone” today (30/10/2013) publicly called for the President of Montenegro, President of the Parliament, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior to provide the residents with their constitutionally guaranteed right to live in a healthy environment. The press release is available (in Montenegrin) here. Human Rights Action press release on the arrest of Beranselo locals is available here.

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On Thursday, 7 November 2013, Beranselo locals held a protest in front of the Parliament of Montenegro, which was attended by representatives of non-governmental organizations, among which was Human Rights Action, and citizens who came to support the cause. More information is available in the article by daily Vijesti (in Montenegrin), here.

Photo: Vijesti online

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Human Rights Action’s press release on the Environmental Movement Day marked in Vasove vode on 17 November 2013, is available here.

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Human Rights Action submitted on 18 December 2013 an initiative to the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Ranko Krivokapić, to ensure that the Parliament provides authentic interpretation of the provision of Article 2 of the Pardon Law (Official Gazette of Montenegro, no. 31/12), prescribing the cases in which the President of the State may pardon. The initiative is available in Montenegrin here.