Non-governmental organisations and civic activists called on the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office today to urgently address two new cases of public glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić, in Bar and Kotor.

We also ask the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office to establish why the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica has still not made a decision, six months after chants praising Mladić at a match in Zeta. Because prosecutors did not respond to the first reported case, the glorification of a convicted war criminal is becoming a regular and unpunished occurrence at religious, cultural and sporting events in Montenegro.

Mladić was finally convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The first new case took place on 26 September at the Bar Cultural Centre. At a concert by the “Fenečki biseri” choir, organised by the Serbian Orthodox Church to mark ten years since the consecration of the Cathedral of St John Vladimir, the song “Đenerale, đenerale” (“General, General”) was performed. In recent years, this song has become a public tribute to Mladić, especially since his death. Another song performed in this public cultural institution presented Montenegro exclusively as a Serbian land.

The second case took place the following day, 27 September, at a Regional League water polo match between VPK Primorac and VK Partizan in Kotor. The media did not report on it, but citizens who attended the match informed us. We suggested that the Prosecutor’s Office obtain recordings from the club and the organiser, security camera footage and broadcast recordings, as well as official notes from the police and the match delegate.

Since March, the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica has been conducting a preliminary investigation into chants praising Mladić at the basketball match between KK Vukovi Zeta and KK Ibar Rožaje on 11 March. A group of supporters, including children, chanted Mladić’s name at the team from Rožaje, a town whose population is predominantly Bosniak. Bosniaks are the people against whom Mladić committed genocide in Srebrenica. Although video footage exists, we have not been informed of any action taken to date. Meanwhile, similar incidents have continued, especially since Mladić’s death on 27 August.

Glorifying people convicted of genocide and war crimes is not an expression of freedom of opinion. It amounts to approving those crimes, insulting victims and their families, and spreading hatred towards the communities targeted by the crimes. Moreover, it teaches children a complete lack of empathy for innocent victims and their families, whose lives have been permanently devastated.

Failing to prosecute such cases sends a message that this behaviour is acceptable and will go unpunished. A legal framework for punishment exists. What is missing is its consistent application, which is also one of the benchmarks for Montenegro’s progress under negotiating Chapter 23.

We call on the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office to:

• Act without delay on the cases in Bar and Kotor and, in cooperation with the Police Directorate, identify the performers, participants and organisers;
• Establish, through its supervisory powers, why the Zeta case has remained under preliminary investigation for six months and ensure that a decision is made urgently;
• Examine the responsibility of the organisers, including the Bar Cultural Centre as a public institution, and the organisers of the sporting events;
• Issue a generally binding instruction to prosecutors on handling cases involving the glorification of convicted war criminals;
• Publicly release the results of the actions taken, as well as data on how such cases have been handled to date: the number of reports, the number dismissed and the reasons for dismissal, the number of indictments, and the outcomes of proceedings.

Human Rights Action (HRA)
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Centre for Women’s and Peace Education – ANIMA
Women’s Rights Centre (WRC)
Juventas
Prima

Dina Bajramspahić
Jovana Marović
Almedina Dodić
Emir Pilav
Paula Petričević

Milica Kankaraš Berber