The excessive use of force by police last night to disperse citizens peacefully protesting the awarding of the 13th July Prize raises serious concerns and casts a long shadow over the potential abuse of state power.
This action represents a clear violation of the Constitution and laws of Montenegro, as well as international conventions that guarantee the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Instead of safeguarding these fundamental democratic rights, the police resorted to force against citizens who were peacefully voicing objections to a highly controversial state award.
Particularly disturbing is the fact that members of the academic community were among those injured – Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Radoman, Dean of the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature, and Mr. Stefan Todorović, a teaching assistant. An attack on academic professionals is an attack on freedom of thought and the integrity of the educational sphere.
We believe the use of force against citizens and members of academia is wholly unacceptable and represents a serious setback for Montenegro’s democratic development. The misuse of police authority to suppress peaceful protest moves the country further away from democratic governance and closer to authoritarian rule.
We call on the relevant institutions to immediately investigate the actions of the police officers involved, establish accountability, sanction those responsible for the use of excessive force, and take concrete steps to prevent such abuses from recurring.
We also urge the Montenegrin academic community to stand firmly in defense of freedom of thought and the right to peaceful protest – to speak out, collectively and publicly, against this violence directed at both its members and fellow citizens.
We call on the international community to unequivocally condemn the use of excessive force, to monitor the situation closely, and to insist on the full respect of fundamental human rights and democratic norms in Montenegro.
Finally, we express our solidarity with all citizens and members of the academic community who were injured or subjected to inhumane treatment while peacefully expressing their civic stance.
In a democratic society, freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly must remain inviolable rights of every individual.
Prof. Dr. Olivera Komar, Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro
Prof. Dr. Zlatko Vujović, Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro
Prof. Dr. Ivan Vuković, Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nemanja Batrićević, Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro
Dr. Filip Milačić, Central European University, Vienna
Dr. Marko Savić, Montenegrin Political Science Association (MoPSA)
Dr. Nemanja Stankov, Faculty of Political Science, University of Montenegro
Dr. Slaven Živković, DeFacto Consultancy
Prof. Dr. Uglješa Janković, Faculty of Political Science
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