It is an unfortunate country where such things happen, it is a shame for the new government, whatever that means, said the President of United Montenegro, Goran Danilović, today, regarding the detention of former Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Vesna Bratić, for up to 72 hours after her interrogation at the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT).
"Vesna Bratić was today, at the request of prosecutor Jovan Vukotić, held in custody for 72 hours. Thus, we witnessed university professor Vesna Bratić, due to the alleged possibility of escape and influence over witnesses, being taken to a concrete mixer truck, while Vesna Medenica skis in Kolašin. It is an unfortunate country in which such things happen, it is a shame for the new government, whatever that means," Danilović pointed out in a statement.
He added that Bratić is a brave woman.
"She showed strength and determination when others were negotiating new positions in the 'new', liberated Montenegro. This does not mean that we are naive, nor that Vesna Bratić did not know what awaited her, because in just one year she tried to expose and clean up the DPS checkpoints, located from kindergartens, through primary and secondary schools, to universities. Four years later, Vesna Bratić is a target. The target of those who have 'washed' their biographies in the meantime and are today pretending to be democratic authorities. Shameful for Montenegro, but we will not give Vesna away, nor will this change her," said Danilović.
He said that Bratić fought unequal battles at a time when troublemakers were winning.
"Nothing lasts forever. It will be remembered that Vesna Bratić tried to liberate education. She tried and succeeded in driving out those who were destroying the future of our children - those who were hiding in the party cells of our education system. The reward that modern Montenegro is giving her is that Vesna Bratić, because she will allegedly escape or influence witnesses, will be kept in custody. At the same time, Vesko Barović, after a misunderstanding, was released an hour after being taken into custody. Too bad for us and too bad for Montenegro. However, we will certainly not surrender, nor will this scare us. We were not afraid of the bigger or the stronger. In the end, we and Vesna Bratić will win this battle - together," said Danilović.
Former Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vesna Bratić was today ordered to be detained for up to 72 hours after being questioned by the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT).
Bratić was arrested earlier today in an investigation by the SDT.
Officers from the Special Police Department (SPO) arrested her this morning in Podgorica. She was taken to the "Limenka" building, where the SPO headquarters are located, after 11 a.m. She left the building after questioning at around 13 p.m.
Vesna Bratić's defense attorney, attorney Mitar Šušić, told "Vijesti" that Bratić defended herself before the prosecutor that she had legally dismissed more than 100 school principals in 2021.
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Political Council of United Montenegro: A country where Milo Đukanović is free and Bratić is in detention – has no right to hope
A country where Milo Đukanović is at large and Prof. Dr. Vesna Bratić is in detention – has no right to hope, the Political Alliance of United Montenegro announced today.
"The Political Council of United Montenegro receives with astonishment and indignation the news that the former Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Prof. Dr. Vesna Bratić, has been arrested in an investigation by the Special State Prosecutor's Office and that she has been ordered to be detained for 72 hours. Since the changes of 2020, Prof. Dr. Vesna Bratić has been one of the rare holders of power who has substantially raised the issue of accountability and dismantling the inherited party apparatus," the statement of the Political Council of United Montenegro, signed by Čedomir Antić, Saša Adamović, Savo Laušević and Jovan Markuš, states.
They ask the questions: Should the academic community remain silent? Should students, professors, and intellectuals remain silent in the face of the fact that political decisions from a period of change are now treated as criminal acts?
"The Political Council of United Montenegro provides full support to the President of the Political Council, Prof. Dr. Vesna Bratić, and demands the urgent, public and transparent disclosure of all relevant facts, while respecting the law and the right to defense," the statement reads.
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