MP and head of the Cetinje committee of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Oskar Huter, signed an online petition calling on the international community to react to the "mass arrests" of officials from the time of the government before August 2020.
This can be seen on the list of petition signatories, where Oskar Huter from Cetinje is signed under serial number 90.
Huter did not answer the call and message of the "Vijesti" journalist yesterday.
The website peticije.online states that the petition was initiated by Slobodan Jovanović. In it, the international community is called to react to "mass arrests in Montenegro based on fabricated accusations against state, judicial and police officials from the time of the government before August 2020". By 19 pm yesterday, it had 255 signatories.
The initiators of the petition believe that all the arrests of politicians, judicial personnel and businessmen that are carried out in Montenegro are directed against people who are in favor of Montenegro's membership in the EU and NATO, while they are arrested by those who were opponents of Montenegro's entry into NATO and who consider Russia as their brothers.
Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović was told that former special prosecutor Milivoje Katnić was arrested "in a manner unworthy of humanity", and asked him if he "sees himself in a similar situation tomorrow".
"If Milivoje Katnić is guilty of something, there were many more humane ways to arrest him. Although you will convince few honest people that Katnić is a criminal, we can blame him for a lot of things, but it is difficult", the text of the petition reads.
Huter's party announced yesterday that the process initiated by the Special State Prosecutor's Office against former high-ranking police officials Zoran Lazović and Katnić was politically motivated, "as evidenced by the political and media atmosphere in which it is being conducted."
DPS spokesman Miloš Nikolić said that Katnić's arrest represents revenge for preventing a coup d'état in Montenegro in 2016. This, he said, is confirmed by the statements of the former leaders of the Democratic Front (DF).
Nikolić said that SDT's lack of action in relation to the Sky correspondence of members of the Škaljar clan, which, as he stated, indicated the connections of that clan with individuals from the new government.
"We read about them when they announced in August 2020 that, after the change of government, Lazović and Katnić would either be liquidated or arrested on the order of the bosses of the swindlers," said Nikolić.
The petition states that a large number of detained citizens of Montenegro lie in custody for months, some are in custody for a year and a half for crimes for which such a period is absolutely not necessary, without a single indictment, without the possibility to prove their innocence in court, creating so the illusion that the state is fighting crime.
"Heinous crimes are being committed against citizens' right to freedom and the basic human right that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Prominent people were arrested, held in custody for half a year, and then released without any judicial release. Nor are there any indications that any indictment will be brought against them", the text of the petition states.
It is emphasized that there is lawlessness in Montenegro, in which "people are arrested without any basis, based on mafia setups, with which they take revenge for the actions that were conducted against them".
The petition's signatories state that "in any normal state, half of today's government would have been behind bars for anti-state activities."
"We ask the question why respectable people are arrested by raiding their family facilities under the full equipment of special police officers, handcuffing them in front of the family, even though these are people who would come to the police on their own without any coercion? None of them intended to flee from Montenegro, nor was there a need for detention because they are all available to prosecutors."
They state that Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević were accused of a serious crime against the state, for which a sentence of over five years was threatened, so they defended themselves from freedom.
"While the deputy special prosecutor, Saša Čađenović, who led the proceedings for the so-called coup d'état has been in custody for a year and a half, and no one knows why. Is it revenge for the process against the accused for the so-called coup? ".
The initiators of the initiative ask if Katnić, his boss at the time, is also in custody because of the same criminal proceedings against Mandić, Knežević and others:
"Should the female judge, who was the presiding judge of the judicial panel, also end up in detention in order to understand what it is about?"
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