The higher state prosecutor's office in Podgorica is still analyzing whether there is hatred in the speech of the president of the Municipality of Nikšić Marko Kovačević at the commemoration of the battle at Grahovac when, among other things, he said that "those who will not be treated as brothers, will be treated as Turks".
On June 16 of this year, the Prosecution filed a case regarding the disputed part of the statement of Kovačević's speech, from June 13 in Grahovac, when, as he said, he addressed "former rulers and their followers"...
"The Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica opened a case regarding the speech of the President of the Nikšić Municipality, MK, and the Prosecutor's Office gave an order to the Police Directorate to collect the necessary information from him, and, if necessary, take other measures and actions, and after analyzing the speech in question and reviewing the collected notifications, a comprehensive analysis of them will be carried out, in order to assess whether the specific speech contains the elements of a criminal offense within the jurisdiction of this prosecution, or some other criminal offense that is prosecuted ex officio, after which a decision will be made in the case," he states. in the answer to "News" by the manager of VDT Podgorica Beautiful Medenice.
Kovačević spoke at the commemoration of the 166th anniversary of the Battle of Grahovac, organized by the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Russian ambassador to Montenegro attended that day Vladislav Maslenikov.
After numerous stormy reactions caused by his words at the commemoration of the Battle of Grahovac, Kovačević said after being questioned by the Nikšić police that he allegedly "talked about reconciliation" and that he "didn't mention any people".
"I mentioned the Turks in the context of the past and the struggle that our ancestors led primarily to defend their hearths and to free themselves from the yoke of that time, and not in the context of today's Turks and relations with Turkey," he said.
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Because of part of the speech of the first man of Nikšić municipality, the prime minister reacted in turn Milojko Spajic who called Kovačević's statement "terrible and without justification", the president of the country Jakov Milatovic he immediately condemned the "irresponsible and worrying narrative", and all the opposition parties and the ruling PES took turns.
Kovačević's disturbing challenge was the reason for the announcement of Reis Islamic Community Rifat Fejzic.
"The mayor of Nikšić is done with the Turks (read: Turks, Bosniaks, Albanians...) now it's the turn of the Montenegrins," wrote Fejzić on the X network.
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Kovačević's speech also caused the reaction of numerous NGOs, which called on the prosecution to determine as soon as possible, ex officio, whether Kovačević's speech contained elements of the criminal offense of inciting national, racial and religious hatred.
"The call, that is the announcement, that the government will know how to deal with the Montenegrins, if they do not accept what they expect from them, Kovačević and his political mentors are announcing the radicalization of the activities of that party, with the aim of provoking inter-ethnic and inter-religious tensions", it is stated in the joint statement of the European movement in Montenegro, Center for Monitoring and Research and 35MM.
The Center for Civic Education also stated that the prosecution and the police would have to focus on the chauvinism, hate speech and fascism of Kovačević, who, encouraged by the inaction of the institutions, continues to dangerously raise the bar.
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Kovačević was elected as the president of Nikšić Municipality after the local elections, in May 2021.
Due to the denial of the genocide in Srebrenica, a month after he sat down in the chair of the President of the Municipality, court proceedings were initiated against him, but the High Court in Podgorica established that, although he denied the genocide, he did not thereby cause national and religious hatred.
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