Of the 130 detainees on strike, 109 are doing so by refusing food, the Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions announced.
"On September 24, 2025, in the Podgorica Remand Prison, out of a total of 130 detainees who expressed certain disagreements with the conditions of their accommodation and court proceedings, 109 of them did so through a hunger strike," the UIKS Public Relations Service said in a statement.
They explain that detainees participating in the hunger strike are provided with comprehensive and continuous health care.
"In relation to the above, medical staff is continuously monitoring their health condition, with a special focus on monitoring vital parameters. We emphasize that all persons participating in the strike are under constant supervision, and that their current health condition is stable. The Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions continues to implement all necessary measures to protect the health of detained persons, and in this regard, to maintain order and security in the Administration," said UIKS.
The detainees' strike began just a few days after the President of the Higher Court in Podgorica, Zoran Radović, visited them in the Remand Prison and talked to them about the conditions in that part of the prison.
The detainees also said that their bail proposals were rejected a priori...
"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 held, we are forced to cancel all forms of legal aid and not attend scheduled trials, and our families are protesting in front of the institutions," the detainees wrote in an earlier statement.
After the strike began last week, Supreme Court President Valentina Pavličić said that everyone has the right to opt for some form of protest, including this one, but that "no one has the right to obstruct the work of the courts in this way, slow down the administration of justice or prevent the clarification of cases of the greatest public interest before the courts of Montenegro"...
"Court decisions, whether procedural or meritorious, including those relating to the duration of detention, setting bail or confirming indictments, are made before the competent judicial panels in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law, i.e. in accordance with the Constitution of Montenegro, the Criminal Procedure Code and standards from ratified and published international treaties in the field of human rights," Pavličić said at the time, adding that "any action that threatens these principles and is aimed at illegality will be decisively and legally sanctioned"...
The detainees spoke out again yesterday, in a letter delivered to the media by lawyer Nikola Tomković.
In the letter, they deny that they are obstructing proceedings and delaying trials, pointing out that they come to hearings exhausted. They state that the hunger strike is an expression of long-standing dissatisfaction, not because of the current processes.
They also state that they are seeking written responses to their requests in order to avoid "selectivity and abuse depending on the name of the accused, because practice is in force, not the law of Montenegro," and say that they are not focused on release, but on equality before the law.
They announced that they will cancel their powers of attorney from today until they receive clear answers about the right to defense and the role of lawyers in the proceedings.
The key to the solution, they claim, lies in the hands of the President of the Supreme Court, Valentina Pavličić, who they expect to decide whether the courts will judge according to the law and the Constitution or according to previous practice and political influences.
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