Today, the Human Rights Action expressed its protest to Minister Šaranović over his decision to choose Vuk Vuković as the head of his security detail. Namely, Vuković was not only recently convicted of ill-treating citizens while discharging official duties in Cetinje, but was also a member of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ) that used force against citizens on the night of 24 October 2015. The involved citizens reported police ill-treatment, which was later confirmed by court verdicts.

We also protested the Minister’s decision to appoint Vuković as a member of the MoI commission charged with granting licences for performing security work, no less than in the capacity of examiner on the use of coercive measures. The Human Rights Action believes that Vuković’s promotion to the position of head of the Minister’s security detail and examiner on the use of coercive means constitutes a slap in the face to the victims of police torture, and that it must be opposed by everyone who cares about human rights.

We expect Minister Šaranović to put his theoretical views on zero tolerance of ill-treatment into practice, and to choose for the head of his security detail a person who has proven to be a highly professional police officer. There must be such a person in the Montenegrin police.

You can read the letter that was dispatched to Minister Šaranović here.