Grujica Andric
BBC journalist
At one end of the central Podgorica street, Risto Stijovića, there is a red carpet and glamour, and at the other, anger, outrage and clashes between the police and hundreds of rioting citizens.
That was the picture of the capital of Montenegro on Tuesday evening, when Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić presented the traditional Thirteenth of July Awards at Villa Gorica.
The award was presented. Bećir Vuković for the book Homeless houses and graphic artist Veljo Stanišić, for the author's exhibition Evolution.
Vuković's selection has sparked criticism and protest due to his "controversial positions" in which he denies the Montenegrin nation and statehood, as well as his glorification of the Chetnik movement from World War II, Danilo Marunović, a Montenegrin director and member of the jury for the Thirteenth of July Award, told BBC Serbian.
"An award that bears the name of the national holiday of July 13th and is inscribed in the anti-fascist identity of society cannot be associated with movements from World War II that are related to fascism," explains Marunović.
Vuković rejected the criticism, which he attributed to "anti-Serbian hysteria" and "a reaction because some ideology or some system no longer controls the reward."
"That award belonged to the privileged."
"With the change of government and system, that award is being released and now other people who declare themselves to be Serbs and Serbian writers can receive it," the writer assessed.
Decades of rule by the Democratic Party of Socialists Milo Đukanović it was changed in 2020.
Among the awardees this year is the world-renowned guitarist Miloš Karadaglić, but announced to express his gratitude, but that "in circumstances beyond his control, he cannot accept this extraordinary recognition."
The July Thirteenth Award is the most prestigious and is awarded in the fields of science, culture, art, sports, economy and other activities on the occasion of the Montenegrin Statehood Day on July 13th.
On that date in 1878, the state was recognized as independent at the Congress of Berlin, and on the same day in 1941, the popular uprising against fascism began in World War II.
This year's award to Vuković can be interpreted "as both an indicator and an incentive for divisions" in Montenegrin society, believes Zlatko Vujović from the Montenegrin Center for Monitoring and Research (CEMI).
Andrija Mandić, the speaker of parliament and leader of the New Serbian Democracy party, which is close to official Belgrade, presented the award at a ceremony marking Statehood Day, which he denies, Vujović claims for BBC Serbian.
"From everything, one could conclude that his party is preparing for new elections or the collapse of the current ruling coalition of which they are a part," the political scientist believes.
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What is there to criticize Bećir Vuković for?
The poet and writer was born in Kolašin, in the north of the country, is 71 years old and graduated from the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, Department of General and Yugoslav Literature. it is stated in his biography on the website of the publishing house Archipelago.
He is a member of the Writers' Association of Serbia and the Writers' Association of Montenegro, but also the president of the Society of Serbian Writers of Montenegro and Herzegovina and the editor-in-chief of the magazine Serbian South.
It's Vukovic disputed Montenegrin statehood describing it as "the epilogue of the irony of history", claiming that it occurred "when the Comintern began to invent nations", attributing credit for it to Milovan Đilas, former ideologue of Yugoslav socialism and dissident.
Dragoljub Mihailović, leader of the Chetnik movement in Serbia during World War II, He called him "the leader of the third Serbian uprising."
This is not the first time that Vuković's connection to the July Thirteenth Award has caused heated debate in the country.
He was elected president of the jury in 2021, which led to numerous criticisms, and the awards ceremony he left early, because, as he said, "with red scarves and red ties of Titoists, they sang to Josip Broz".
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Why is Vuković's award still being disputed?
In addition to the poet's views, Danilo Marunović believes that Vuković should not have received the award because his work did not meet the requirements for nomination, which is why the director refused to sign the minutes of the jury session after the vote.
Book Homeless houses not available in libraries in Montenegro, reported the Podgorica newspaper Vijesti after reviewing the COBISS library system, where it did not appear in the search until July 4th.
Since that date, it has had the status "in print", although system data shows that it was published in 2024, and the publishers listed are Obodsko slovo from Podgorica and Štampar Makarije from Belgrade.
The award announcement included the registration number of a book that Vuković had previously published, to which the writer replied said that he "never heard of anyone peeking into the famous CIP (identification number)" and that the work was "registered in the National Library of Serbia (NBS)".
From NBS to za Montenegrin portal Antena M They said that the work does not exist in that institution, nor in any library in Serbia.
Marunović had insight into the work, but he only learned about the allegations that it had not been published after the jury voted, because the "circumstances of disqualification" are decided by the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, the director says.
"The problem is also the awarding of all awards in one field, which I raised at the first jury session, referring to the Law on State Awards, which stipulates that three awards should be awarded in three different fields," adds Marunović, who detained in June and later deported from Serbia.
He believes that this casts a shadow on the "greatest state recognition", which in history has been "repeatedly compromised by disgusting elections".
"In addition to high social recognition, this award is also canonization into the elite circle of creators, scientists, and athletes, but also carries financial compensation of more than 14.000 euros, brings the status of an artist of special importance, and provides a national pension," he explains.
What happened at the protest in Podgorica?
On the same evening that the Thirteenth of July Award was being presented at Villa Gorica, hundreds of people gathered nearby to express their dissatisfaction.
A police cordon prevented access to the building, and during the evening there were clashes with protest participants, who chanted "this is not Serbia" and "traitors", reports the Podgorica newspaper Vijesti.
The gathered "attempted to push back police officers and break through the police cordon, in order to move and enter the protected area of Villa Gorica without authorization, while throwing stones, bottles, eggs and other objects at police officers," the Montenegrin Ministry of Internal Affairs announced.
"After several warnings and orders issued that the citizens ignored," the police used pepper spray, which the Ministry of the Interior describes as "the mildest means of coercion."
One police officer was injured, and the police announced that they will use footage and photographs to try to identify those who disrupted peace and order and behaved violently, the statement added.
Opposition politicians who attended the rally described the incidents in Podgorica differently.
"The police attacked peacefully gathered citizens, opposition leaders and MPs with physical force and pepper spray, unprovoked."
"Montenegro is becoming a dictatorship day by day where dissenting opinions are punished with physical force," published on the Iks platform Amar Borančić, vice president of the opposition Liberal Party.
It was "a spontaneous gathering due to the disgusting nature of the award ceremony," Marunović concludes.
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