On International Human Rights Day 2025, more than one hundred active wars and armed conflicts—international or internal—are taking place around the world. Particularly alarming are the situations in Ukraine, where the war has continued into its fourth year with unabated intensity, and in Gaza, where real peace is still not in sight.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry of the UN Human Rights Council have determined that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including two judges and two prosecutors. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese demonstrated in her reports that multinational companies, as well as 28 states, aided war crimes and genocide by supplying Israel with military technology and weapons.
Support for the international order based on respect for human rights and international humanitarian law has drastically eroded. Nevertheless, UN Special Rapporteurs—Ms. Albanese, as well as Margaret Satterthwaite, Irene Khan, and Mary Lawlor—who have taken interest in human rights in Montenegro this past year, along with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who visited Montenegro, give hope that even at the international level, there remain incorruptible voices willing to stand up for human rights for all.
Montenegro’s accession to the European Union
Although membership in the EU is a proclaimed strategic goal of Montenegro, the actions of the executive branch still cast doubt on this commitment. Only seven out of 33 negotiation chapters have been closed. In mid-December, the closing of five more is expected, but not the chapter “External Relations,” which Croatia blocked after Montenegro adopted a Resolution on Genocide in the Jasenovac, Dachau, and Mauthausen camps last year—under pressure from Serbian nationalist parties in the ruling coalition.
Chapters 23 and 24—concerning human rights, the judiciary, the fight against organized crime, and corruption—are the most demanding and will remain open until the end of the negotiation process. Human Rights Action continually reminds the public of the final benchmarks that must be achieved, as we do in this statement
On the protection of human rights before the Constitutional Court of Montenegro
Due to governmental irresponsibility, the Constitutional Court currently has only five of its seven judges—insufficient for efficient resolution of the large number of constitutional appeals (1,672) and initiatives for constitutional and legal review (364). Despite this, since last year the Court has decided on all constitutional appeals older than two years, preventing violations of the right to a trial within a reasonable time. However, due to political interests, there is a risk that the mandate of one judge may be extended even though it has already been unconstitutionally prolonged for more than a year.
On the judiciary
Salaries for holders of judicial functions were temporarily raised, and constitutional amendments regarding the composition of the Judicial Council were initiated in line with international recommendations. Still, many tasks remain on the road to the EU: selecting the missing judges and prosecutors, improving organizational efficiency, issuing high-quality decisions, impartially establishing accountability, and improving working conditions and court capacities. The issue of ensuring integrity through adequate vetting remains unresolved.
Right to life
Institutions are slow to protect the right to life and the safety of citizens. Nearly a year has passed without the Council for Civilian Oversight of Police Work issuing its position on police conduct during the mass killing in Cetinje on 1 January 2025. The Ombudsman also published only this year an opinion on the 2022 Cetinje massacre. Statistics show the dramatic consequences of delayed institutional response—there have already been four femicides recorded this year.
Lack of accountability is especially evident in cases of negligent medical treatment: 14 years after the death of Ivana Šoć, no doctor has been held responsible, despite experts from the Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana recently confirming the previous findings of Croatian experts that her life was lost due to medical error. Also worrying are recent tragic cases—the death of a baby in Nikšić and of a boy in Bar—which still need to be effectively investigated.
Prohibition of torture
Victims of torture have finally gained the right to free legal aid. The binding instruction of the Supreme State Prosecutor has improved monitoring and reporting on the prosecution of torture complaints, but has not led to a noticeable improvement in the effectiveness of investigations. The state still fails to ensure the prohibition of torture in line with international standards, nor does it provide adequate procedural safeguards. As a result, compliance with the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)—crucial for closing Chapter 23—remains unattainable. The Government, despite appeals, has not published the CPT’s preliminary observations.
According to the findings of the Operational Team for Combating Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women, progress has been made in the handling of domestic violence cases, especially with regard to consistency, efficiency, and more frequent proper criminal-law classification of violence. However, limitations remain, such as insufficient staffing and technical capacities, inconsistent quality of risk assessments, weak coordination with police and social work centers, and inadequate informing of victims about the course of proceedings.
Prosecution of war crimes and other rights of victims
Montenegro is more actively investigating war crimes thanks to intensified communication with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. Civilian war victim status has been recognized for all missing and killed civilians from the 1990s conflicts, and their families now receive monthly allowances. The state also provided one-time payments of €100,000 to 16 families in the cases of Murino, Tuzi, Štrpci, and the deportation of refugees; however, families of the missing from Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina were unjustifiably excluded.
Positive developments also include the conclusion of an annex to the cooperation agreement between Montenegrin and Croatian state prosecutors, introducing reciprocity in war-crimes cooperation. This should allow Montenegro to receive information on the results of the investigation in the “Lora 3” case involving the torture and killing of the Nikšić–Šavnik group. The initiative to build a monument to the victims of the Kaluđerski laz war crime has received support from the Ministry of Culture and Media. The local parliament of Bijelo Polje adopted an initiative to revoke the “Risto Ratković” award granted in 1993 to convicted war criminal Radovan Karadžić.
On the other hand, the reopening of old cases has not yet produced results; regional cooperation remains largely formal; there has been no progress in establishing monuments or a day of remembrance for the victims of the Deportation; the state has not officially established or adequately commemorated the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide; and that crime is still occasionally relativized by politicians and in the media.
Prohibition of incitement to hatred and intolerance (hate speech)
Hate speech is increasingly present in public discourse, and representatives of authorities often encourage or tolerate it. After the mass killing in Cetinje on 1 January, there was a rise in hate speech, especially on social media. It reached a peak in relation to Turkish nationals, in the context of an incident for which Turkish citizens were wrongly accused. Entrenched patriarchal patterns normalize violence against women and LGBTIQ persons; activists, MPs, and other female officials are frequent targets.
The State Prosecutor’s Office fails to recognize hate speech in the erection of a monument to a decorated ally of Hitler, or in wartime propaganda statements such as the mayor of Pljevlja’s remark “Next year in Prizren.” Normalization of such rhetoric undermines the rule of law, social cohesion, and European integration.
Freedom of expression, media, and investigations of attacks on journalists in Montenegro
In Montenegro, some politicians in power continually attempt to restrict space for free expression—especially criticism from NGOs and lawyers. They do not tolerate criticism and react disproportionately. The State Prosecutor’s Office and the Police Administration initiated misdemeanor proceedings against journalists for comments on social networks, but discontinued them once international freedom-of-expression standards were pointed out.
Attacks on journalists—both verbal and physical—remain a serious problem. There has been no progress in solving the 2004 murder of Duško Jovanović, the attacks on Tufik Softić, or establishing responsibility for the shooting of Olivera Lakić. According to the Media Union and the SafeJournalists database, 28 incidents were recorded in 2025, an increase from 24 in 2024. Five convictions were issued. Particularly concerning were the attacks on photojournalists Stevo Vasiljević and Boris Pejović in Gornje Zaostro near Berane while reporting on the erection of an illegal monument.
Political maneuvering and obstruction in selecting candidates from CANU and NGOs for the Council of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services, as well as the failure to implement court rulings regarding the appointment of the RTCG director, further undermine the rule of law and public trust in state institutions.
Violence among children
Violence among children in Montenegro remains a serious problem and is becoming increasingly brutal. It was reported that in the 2024/2025 school year alone, 115 cases of such violence were recorded, and particular concern is caused by publicly posted videos showing boys and girls being beaten while many of their peers film and encourage the violence. Although the Government has announced several measures and judicial institutions have increased sanctions, progress still does not match the urgency of the situation.
On the rights of persons with disabilities
Although a new psychiatric clinic was opened in Podgorica in September 2024, the situation of persons with psychosocial disabilities remains almost unchanged. Excessive and prolonged hospitalization in the Special Psychiatric Hospital (SPB) in Dobrota is still common, minors continue to be placed there despite the institution’s lack of jurisdiction over them, and institutionalization remains the dominant—and often the only—form of care. Community-based support services are underdeveloped, and courts and prosecutors’ offices remain physically inaccessible. Such conditions hinder progress in key Chapters 23 and 24 on the path toward EU membership.
On respect for social and economic rights
Montenegro still lags significantly in implementing the recommendations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, particularly in combating poverty and ensuring basic living needs. The lack of a strategic approach to poverty reduction, precise data, and adequate procedures continues to impede the effective protection of the rights of the most vulnerable groups and the planning of public policies.
Rights of transgender persons and sexual minorities (LGBTIQ)
The Law on Legal Recognition of Gender Identity was prepared and harmonized with the relevant institutions in 2024, but was subsequently halted and, since the end of that year, has not been placed on the Government’s agenda — preventing it from being sent to Parliament. The European Commission’s report once again confirms that such delays represent a serious failure by Montenegro to fulfill its international human-rights obligations. During his visit in May, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk encouraged the authorities to submit the draft law to Parliament and to abolish the existing practice of sterilization.
A longer version of the statement (in Montenegrin) with more information is available here. The statement refers to topics that were the focus of HRA’s work during 2025.
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