Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office (VDT) and the non-governmental organization Citizens' Alliance (GA) signed a cooperation agreement on monitoring the respect for human rights of persons detained by the police yesterday.
One of the goals of the agreement is to improve protection against torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.
The agreement was signed by the Minister Raško Konjević, the Deputy of the VDT Veselin Vučković and the President of the GA Boris Raonić, and the Director of the Police Administration Slavko Stojanović was also present.
"The police administration will be fully prepared to implement the agreement. We have already agreed on the modalities of cooperation and the implementation of the provisions of the agreement with the GA. In this way, we want to strengthen the public's trust primarily in the legality of the work of police officers, to send the public as clear a message as possible with the aim of greater transparency in the actions of police officers", said Stojanović.
According to the signed agreement, GA monitors will be able to visit regional units where detained persons are detained, and they will be able to view all police documentation regarding the time of detention and detention and other data about the detained person, including the possibility of communicating with that person.
It is foreseen that the monitor's conversation with the detained person may refer exclusively to the circumstances of deprivation of liberty, i.e. in connection with his rights in accordance with Article 29 of the Constitution of Montenegro, Articles three and five of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Konjević said that cooperation is important from the aspect of helping the work of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms.
"We have fulfilled all the constitutional and legal obligations arising from the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms," Konjević said.
The agreement is valid for six months, with the fact that the time period of monitoring can be continued even after the expiration of that period. Raonic pointed out that state institutions initiated the signing of the aforementioned Agreement.
"This is another step in the improvement of human rights in Montenegro. Citizens can contact the Civic Alliance for any problem of this kind, and we will find a way to prevent these problems from happening again," said Raonic.
Vučković stated that the agreement will help create a more transparent and objective picture of the work of state bodies, as well as the state and degree of protection of rights and freedoms before criminal proceedings. He added that by signing the agreement, the NGO Civil Alliance created a link between state institutions and the public.
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