Last year, the Institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms received 66 complaints regarding the actions of the Police Directorate, which is eight more than in 2024.
The Ombudsman's office told the MINA agency that the number of complaints increased by 13,8 percent and that the largest number of complaints came from Podgorica.
"The increase in the number of complaints indicates increased activity by citizens in using their constitutional and legal right to file complaints, but also the need for continuous monitoring of police actions from the perspective of legality, proportionality and respect for human rights," said the Ombudsman institution.
They assessed that this increase can also be interpreted as a result of increased citizen awareness of protection mechanisms, strengthening trust in the institution of the Protector, as well as changes in social expectations regarding standards of police conduct.
"The issues in the complaints are mostly the same and relate to violations of the procedural rights of arrested persons - insufficient or untimely notification of the reasons for the arrest, failure to provide or delay contact with a lawyer, failure to inform family members, extended detention without legal basis or beyond the prescribed deadlines," said the Ombudsman institution.
They added that the complaints also relate to the use of physical force and means of coercion that was neither necessary nor proportionate to the circumstances of the specific case, the unjustified use of firearms or threats to use them, and the rude and inappropriate behavior of police officers (insults, belittling, threats).
When asked about the situation in the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS), the Ombudsman's office said that they are continuously monitoring the actions of UIKS, including the conditions of residence and health care in the Administration and the Remand Prison.
As they stated, the last visit of the Ombudsman's representatives to UIKS was on December 26th.
"The situation has not fundamentally changed significantly compared to previous years and requires systemic reforms to ensure standards in line with international practice, in particular Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, on the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment," the Ombudsman's institution said.
They stated that, although healthcare at UIKS is formally organized and accessible to detainees, reports and recommendations point to a number of systemic limitations.
The institution of the Protector emphasized that these limitations primarily relate to the lack of networking with the public health system, which results in doctors at UIKS not being able to timely and fully learn about the health condition of detainees or persons serving prison sentences.
They also pointed out that there is no possibility of electronically scheduling specialist examinations.
As stated by the institution of the Protector, the problems include uneven hygienic and material conditions in certain facilities, as well as long waits for specialist examinations.
"These factors may in practice make it difficult to effectively exercise the right to health care," the Ombudsman's office stated.
They said that, in the cases reviewed by the Protector, including those that were in the focus of public interest, it was determined that the competent authorities took measures within the framework of their legal powers, provided medical examinations and documented the health condition of those arrested and detained, to the extent possible.
The Institution of the Protector, they added, continued to insist on recommendations that would substantially contribute to better health care for persons residing in UIKS.
They recalled that, in accordance with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, the state has a positive obligation to provide arrested persons with adequate health care and humane living conditions.
"The Ombudsman will continue to insist on the implementation of recommendations and systemic reforms, because long-standing problems such as overcrowding and infrastructure limitations cannot be solved with individual measures, while at the same time posing a great risk of human rights violations," the institution said.
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