PODGORICA – The “Milovan Đilas” Award, presented by the “Milovan Đilas” Academy for contributions to strengthening and promoting freedom of thought, was awarded to prominent human rights activist and Executive Director of the NGO Human Rights Action (HRA), Tea Gorjanc Prelević. The award ceremony was held at Book Caffe in Podgorica as part of the “Bookiranje” festival, organised by the Fokalizator publishing house.
The ceremony, which followed a performance of the Montenegrin national anthem by the Cetinje rock band Prizma, marked the opening of the new “Bookiranje” festival.
The decision was made by a jury composed of Professor Vladimir Vojnović, PhD (President), Dragana Erjavšek (member) and Miloš Vukanović, MA (member). In its statement, the jury noted that Gorjanc Prelević was born in Belgrade and has lived and worked in Podgorica since 2000. She graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law and obtained a master’s degree in international and public law in the United States from the American University Washington College of Law. The jury recalled her distinguished career and many years of work in the fields of human rights, judicial reform, war crimes, and protection against discrimination.
“Throughout her many years of public engagement, she has focused particularly on the rule of law, judicial reform, human rights, war crimes and transitional justice, the protection of culture, freedom of expression, and protection against discrimination,” the jury stated, recalling that she was one of the legal representatives of the victims of the war crime involving the deportation of Bosnia and Herzegovina refugees from Montenegro.
The jury also highlighted the numerous public criticisms she had voiced over the previous 12 months concerning violence and discrimination against Turkish nationals in Montenegro, the failure to fulfil the requirements under Chapter 23, obstruction of the prosecution of war crimes, attacks at the Džada Film Festival, attempts to erect a monument to convicted war criminal Pavle Đurišić, and the public rehabilitation of Ratko Mladić. In recognition of her overall intellectual engagement and exceptional contribution to the protection of freedom of expression, the jury unanimously decided to present the award to her.
In accepting the award, Tea Gorjanc Prelević emphasised the importance of the person after whom it was named.
“Thank you to the jury, and thank you for this recognition. Above all, thank you for establishing an award for freedom of expression. Thank you for naming it after Milovan Đilas, reminding us that, alongside warfare, our history has also given us powerful examples of people who risked their lives to defend the right to criticise those in power,” the laureate said.
She emphasised that she did not regard the award as a personal achievement, but as a shared accomplishment of her close colleagues and fellow activists.
“We are an activist family that works selflessly, every day and beyond regular working hours, to safeguard peace and the quality of life in Montenegro. We will continue to do so because this is our common struggle,” Gorjanc Prelević said.
Speaking about her inner motivations, the laureate acknowledged that she had always felt the need not to be a “timid coward”.
“It is my need for justice. It is also my need for peace. Ultimately, I realised that it is a need for fairness and for respect for people and human rights,” she emphasised.
In an emotional address to those present, she also reflected on the current socio-political climate and the dangers posed by rising nationalism.
“My other very important and deeply personal need is the need for peace. I am terrified by the thought of war returning to this region. And these days, it seems to me that we have never been closer to it. It is as if the tragic 1990s taught us nothing. That is why I believe we have a final responsibility to step out of our comfort zones, to speak out, and to call those responsible to account—whatever the cost,” Gorjanc Prelević warned.
She added that constant warnings must be issued against “hate speech and selfish nationalism”.
“Montenegro, our country, has an ethnically and culturally diverse population. This gives it an opportunity every day to build resilience against nationalism. We must immunise children against it from an early age,” Gorjanc Prelević concluded.
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