Vujović: Minority rights are not protected by misinterpretation of the law, but by its consistent application

Minority rights are not protected by misinterpretation of the law, but by its consistent application, said Democratic Presidency member Tamara Vujović.

In response to statements by the Minister of Public Administration Maraš Dukaj and member of the Presidency of the Albanian Forum Lindon Đeljaj, she wrote that in the sector dealing with national security, especially not in the political leadership that coordinates that area, there are no aspirations to deny the right of Albanians in Montenegro to freely use their national symbols.

"On the contrary, this right is recognized by law and is protected as such. But, that is precisely why the law should be read from the first to the last article, and not just the part of it that corresponds to someone's, in this case your, political thesis," she said.

It is true, as she said, that the Albanian flag is legally recognized as the national symbol of Albanians in Montenegro.

"It is also true that Article 23 of the Law on Public Order and Peace provides for an exception when the symbol of another state is used as the national symbol of a minority people in accordance with a special law. However, it does not follow from this that every person, in every situation and in every place, can display the flag of another state, invoking the rights of smaller peoples," she added.

She said that in this specific case, it is not about the exercise of minority rights of citizens of Montenegro, but about a column of citizens of another country, who were stopped while moving through the territory of Montenegro, in transit to neighboring Kosovo. Therefore, she said, the legal and real context in which the symbol is displayed, as in every case, must be determined, "and not just its appearance during media interpretation, which can often be political manipulation."

"And that is precisely the essential error of your interpretation, the same flag can be the national symbol of Albanians in Montenegro, but at the same time the state symbol of the Republic of Albania. What legal status it has in a specific case depends on who displays it, in what capacity, on what occasion and on the basis of what legal right. Therefore, one should not turn a specific police action, which I believe is the protection of the legal order of the state of Montenegro, into a story about discrimination against the Albanian people. That, after all, is not true," Vujović says.

She said that she is fighting, "like many colleagues", for all members of smaller nations, including Albanians in Montenegro, to have full rights to cherish their identity and use national symbols, in accordance with the law, and, as she said, she strongly supports the police in applying the law "zealously and dedicatedly, regardless of someone's nation, citizenship or flag on the vehicle".

"Minority rights are not protected by misinterpreting the law. They are protected precisely by its consistent application. Therefore, let's not present the work of state bodies as they really are. That does not contribute to the European image you are referring to," the response reads.