Tomković: Detainees of the Remand Prison have announced a total strike and blockade of the courts starting September 15th

Detainees of the Remand Prison at the Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS) in Spuž, after several warnings with a hunger strike, are now determined - they are announcing a total strike and blockade of the courts from September 15th, until their demands are met, lawyer Nikola Tomković announced today.

The statement states that the detainees in the Spusk prison, who have been on hunger strike for the past few months due to poor conditions and non-compliance with the agreement reached at the time with the President of the Higher Court Zoran Radović and representatives of the Ministry of Justice, through Tomković, have issued a new statement, in which they demand that the President of the Higher Court Zoran Radović, the Minister of Justice Bojan Božović and the President of the Supreme Court Valentina Pavličić visit them, where they ask for solutions to be agreed upon that would be in accordance with the Law and the Constitution of Montenegro, while respecting the provisions of the European Court of Human Rights.

"Due to the disrespect for the Law and Constitution of Montenegro and the right to defense and a fair trial guaranteed to us by law, the length of detention and the conditions in which we are staying, we are forced to cancel every legal aid appointment and not attend scheduled trials, and our families are protesting in front of the institutions," the statement delivered through Tomković states.

As they note, they expect lawyers to join them, who, as they stated in a statement about twenty days ago, also have objections to the working conditions due to the large number of detainees, sometimes waiting 2-3 hours to speak with a client.

"We call on all lawyers and the Bar Association to support us and stand in solidarity with us and our families, and to give a unified response to the legal violence that is in force in Montenegro, because as you can see for yourself, neither judges nor prosecutors respect you. We would like to thank the President of the Bar Association, Danilo Mićović, who, with his public appearance, supported our fight for better living conditions and the right to a fair trial," the detainees said in a letter submitted to the media by Tomković.

As they state, there is clearly violence against the law and the courts are guided by practice and the position they have taken, knowing that it is in contradiction with the Law and Constitution of Montenegro and "all under political pressure and selective justice".

Detainees indicate that detentions last longer than their sentences and are being extended according to the same pattern of fabricated indictments written by Milivoje Katnić, Lidija Vukčević and Saša Čađenović.

"Guaranties are a dead letter on paper, disrespect for the decisions of European courts, confirmation of indictments without reading and checking with fabricated facts that are pure forgeries. The prosecution is protecting the main people of the former regime who robbed this country, leaving over 100 murders unsolved during the DPS rule. We are determined, we will not allow ourselves to be 'sacrificial lambs' in the closing of Chapters 23 and 24, because we are also someone's parents, someone's children, family members, citizens of this country and we will not let someone rudely and illegally play with our destinies," the detainees at UIKS are categorical in a statement they forwarded through Tomković.

Finally, the detainees of the Spusk prison call on the European Union Ambassador to Montenegro, Johan Sattler, and all non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to verify what they are asking for and to verify their allegations, which is why they are announcing a total strike and blockade of the courts from September 15th until their demands are met.