Human Rights Action (HRA) welcomed the opinion of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro - Ombudsman, which accepted the HRA's complaint and determined that by displaying the emblem of the chapel on Lovćen on the uniform of the Special Police Unit at this year's Dubai Swat Challenge, the Ministry of Internal Affairs violated the principle of non-discrimination.
"The Ombudsman recommended that the Ministry of the Interior, as the body competent to prescribe the appearance and content of emblems, including emblems of narrower organizational units, take measures and actions to change the emblem - logo on the uniform of the Special Police Unit, in a manner that respects the principle of non-discrimination and equality, as well as the civic and secular character of the state of Montenegro," the HRA announced.
They add that the ministry is obliged, within 30 days of receiving the opinion, to submit a report on the measures and actions taken to implement the recommendation.
"The Ombudsman established the following facts: that the official website of the UAE SWAT Challenge contained the name of the unit with a photo of the logo featuring a church-chapel on Lovćen; that the Montenegrin special unit participated in the same competition last year, but that the logo then was the state coat of arms - a double-headed eagle; that the Police Administration stated that the emblem of the Special Police Unit from 1998 to 2015 contained a chapel on Lovćen. The Ombudsman explained that discrimination occurred due to the highlighting of an object of a religious community on the police uniform of a state that is constitutionally regulated as civil and secular, i.e. in which religious communities are separated from the state, and whose Law on Internal Affairs stipulates that the performance of police work is based on the principles of professionalism, impartiality, and non-discrimination..."
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The HRA also points to, as they point out, "the worryingly rude and argumentative political reactions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs towards anyone who dares to criticize them in any way."
"Thus, in the statement of the Police Directorate to our complaint, the Ministry of Interior accused the Human Rights Action of 'a manipulative attempt to politicize the Police Directorate and its officers, and an attempt to draw them into current topics related to religious and national issues' (point 4, indent 2 of the Opinion of the Protector, attached). The HRA rejects unfounded claims that highlighting facts and pointing out discrimination could represent any kind of manipulation. On the contrary, the Ministry of Interior and the Police Directorate are solely responsible for the omission with the emblem of the Special Police Unit, and to this day they have not explained how and why it occurred and who is responsible for it," the statement reads.
HRA believes that it is the duty of responsible representatives of state bodies in a democratic state to show elementary respect, if not gratitude, to both non-governmental organizations and all others who substantiate their points to violations of laws and constitutional principles in the general interest. They add that everyone should have the same goal - the protection of a legal order based on human rights.
"We call on all citizens and other residents of Montenegro to persistently monitor the actions of state authorities and to address the Ombudsman and other state authorities responsible for protecting human rights. We hope that we will soon see leaders of state institutions accept well-founded allegations of violations of the law, aware of the responsibility of public office and the obligation to respect the legal order of Montenegro," the HRA announced.
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