State Prosecutor’s Office Should Address the Chanting for Mladić
We welcome the decision of the Disciplinary Commission of the Football Association of Montenegro (FSCG) to initiate proceedings against FK Zeta for unsportsmanlike conduct by fans during the match against Grbalj in Radanovići, during which the name of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić was chanted from the stands. This is the same pattern of behavior that we condemned in March, when the same name was chanted at the basketball match KK Vukovi Zeta – KK Ibar Rožaje.
The response of the FSCG Disciplinary Commission is encouraging and important for protecting sport from nationalist radicalization, but it is not enough. Given that the situation keeps repeating, it is equally important for sports clubs and other institutions to act preventively and to clearly tell their players and fans that there is no place for glorifying war criminals on sports fields and in the stands.
When prevention fails, institutions are obligated to act. Glorifying convicted war criminals constitutes the criminal offense of inciting hatred and intolerance, for which the Criminal Code of Montenegro prescribes a prison sentence of six months to five years – this issue, therefore, is not only a matter for sport, but also a matter of criminal law. That is why we believe that the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica, like the Disciplinary Commission, should also have publicly addressed this new case without delay.
It is particularly concerning that since March, when we first spoke out and a case was opened regarding the chanting at the basketball match in Zeta, the prosecutor’s office has still only been conducting a preliminary inquiry into that case, without any progress toward identifying and prosecuting those responsible. The slowness and lack of transparency in handling the case send a message that the glorification of war criminals is tolerated, which in turn encourages the repetition of such incidents – as has now happened again, this time on a football pitch.
We call on the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica to urgently announce the outcome of the inquiry into the March case, and to promptly initiate proceedings, on the same grounds and without delay, regarding the most recent incident at the FK Zeta – Grbalj match.
The accountability of institutions must be consistent and timely, not selective and sporadic.
The rule of law, which is also reflected through the suppression of hate speech, is a condition for Montenegro’s accession to the European Union.
Human Rights Action (HRA)
Antifascists of Cetinje
Spektra Association
Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM)
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG)
Centre for Monitoring and Research (CeMI)
Centre for Development of Non-Governmental Organisations (CRNVO)
Women’s Rights Centre (WRC)
ANIMA Centre for Women’s and Peace Education
Montenegrin LGBTIQ Association Queer Montenegro
Montenegrin Philological Society
Montenegrin Committee of Lawyers for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms (CKM)
Montenegrin Science and Technology Hub – epiSTEMe
Montenegrin PEN Centre
Montenegrin Women’s Lobby
Dr Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association (MSJA)
Association of Montenegrin Publishers
ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Association for the Western Balkans and Turkey
Expeditio
Forum for Youth and Informal Education (Forum MNE)
21 May Civic Initiative
Media Institute of Montenegro
Ipso Facto
Juventas
Bona Fide Open Centre – Pljevlja
Prima
Kuća Association for Children and Youth
Women’s Safe House
Stana Association of LBTQ Women
Association of History Teachers of Montenegro – HIPMONT
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