On this day 34 years ago, Admiral of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), Vladimir Barović, took his own life in protest against the order from the JNA high command to shell coastal towns in Croatia from the island of Vis in 1991. He wrote that he chose an honorable death “because Montenegrins cannot destroy a people who have done them no harm”.

Although his act is an exceptional example of chivalry and moral courage, he remains largely unknown in Montenegro. Our children do not learn about him, his name is absent from history textbooks and there is no memorial in his honor.

Barović was posthumously awarded in 2016 by the President of Montenegro, Filip Vujanović. In 2023, he was declared an honorary citizen of the City of Pula, and in 2022, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the island of Vis in Croatia, bearing a quote from his farewell letter:

“There will be no destruction here as long as I am commander, and if I am ever forced to order destruction, I will no longer be here. Montenegrins cannot fight and destroy a people who have done them no wrong.”

The tragic act of Admiral Barović reminds us that standing up against madness and injustice is the duty of every individual—both then and now—regardless of whether they are officials or civilians. Following his death, the unreasonable order to shell Dalmatian towns was ultimately abandoned.

To this day, no official initiative has been launched to permanently commemorate Barović in Montenegro. Human Rights Action and Centre for Civic Education have today submitted an initiative to the Council for Naming Streets in the Capital City to name a street after Admiral Vladimir Barović.

It is extremely important that his name and personal sacrifice in defense of humanity are preserved from oblivion through the honor he rightfully deserves. This memorial should also stand as a permanent reminder of the kind of war Montenegro must be protected from.

Human Rights Action (HRA)
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)