On 18 March 2026, the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica upheld the dismissal of the criminal complaint concerning the police abuse of lawyers Branimir Vukčević and Momčilo Baranin, committed on 24 October 2015 in the so-called Zlatarska Street. In this way, impunity for torture that the whole world could see on video has now been formally sealed.

On 9 February 2026, the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the complaint on the grounds that criminal prosecution for ill-treatment had become time-barred back in 2021 — despite the fact that both the Constitutional Court of Montenegro and the European Court of Human Rights found that the investigation had not been conducted in accordance with international standards.

That night, at around 10:30 p.m., in the centre of Podgorica, Vukčević and Baranin were thrown to the pavement, beaten, kicked, and left without assistance, even though they had not taken part in the unrest, had not resisted, and had not been deprived of their liberty. Their injuries were later medically confirmed. Journalists from Vijesti recorded everything. More than ten years later, the perpetrators have still not been identified.

For years, the case remained at the preliminary investigation stage, only to be dismissed not for lack of evidence, but because of the statute of limitations caused by the inaction of the very authorities responsible.

At the same time, the prosecution continued to act in the case even after the date on which it now claims the statute of limitations had already expired. The prosecutors responsible for the case were Danka Ivanović Đerić and Slađana Španjević Volkov, who were the first and for the longest time in charge of it, as well as the state prosecutors who became involved after the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights — Vukas Radonjić, Haris Šabotić, and Romina Vlahović.

Human Rights Action recalls that this case is not an isolated one: both the abuse of the citizens of Kolašin on the main road and the case of Milorad Martinović from the same night also remained unpunished.

The European Court clearly emphasized that the payment of compensation cannot replace the obligation to conduct an effective investigation — because otherwise state officials could regularly abuse their powers with impunity.

Without accountability for state torture, there can be no rule of law, nor any progress by Montenegro toward the European Union.