Statement by a member of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in the Podgorica parliament Stefan Ćulafić that cases of journalist murders and similar topics should not be in the public's focus right now is distasteful and dangerous, especially considering that the liquidation of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Dan Duško Jovanović It has not been solved even after 21 years, and a society that claims to be democratic must not remain silent about the crimes committed against those who exposed corruption.
With these words, the interlocutors of "Vijesti" interpret Ćulafić's message that insisting on topics that "polarize" and are "painful for Montenegrin society", such as "murders of journalists and so on", is not what should be "in the focus of attention now".
He said this while commenting on the presentation the day before yesterday by a long-time official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and the Police Directorate (UP). Milan Paunović at a session of the parliamentary Inquiry Committee dealing with cases of allegedly politically motivated murders and attacks on journalists and intellectuals.
"These are some things that have been current for about twenty years, and now the same stories are being emphasized again. The question arises - why and for whose account," said Ćulafić yesterday during an appearance on Montenegro Television, saying that he supports "investigating everything to the end", but that he believes that the Inquiry Committee was formed to "distance Montenegro from crucial topics".
Ćulafić did not respond to questions from "Vijesti" about whether there is a "bad" time to talk about unsolved murders, when it is "right" to talk about it, and how these are topics that divide society. DPS remained silent on whether Ćulafić's statement was the party's official position, and if not, what it was.
The inquiry committee resumed work in mid-May after a break of almost two months, and will continue to deal with the murder and assault cases for another two years. The statement he gave to the members of that body Milan Paunović, has attracted great public attention and conflicting reactions from government and opposition representatives. He said, among other things, that the "black threes" were led by the commander of the Special Police Unit with his associates, and that after learning that such squads had been formed, he sent a letter to the then Minister of the Interior. Vukašin Maraš, stating that, “if they had understood the messages” from his letter, Duško Jovanović and the police inspector Slavoljub Šćekić were alive today.
The victims' families deserve the truth.
The European Commission (EC) has been warning Montenegro for more than a decade that unsolved murders and attacks on officials, journalists, and intellectuals are hindering the country's path towards the EU.
“... Montenegro should in particular continue to ensure timely and effective implementation of the law and institutional protection of journalists from all forms of violence, while prioritizing investigations and judicial follow-up of key unresolved cases, ensure consistent implementation of all media-related legislation and consistently implement a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of pressure or harassment of journalists, including by public officials,” the EC report for last year states.
Director of Human Rights Action (HRA) Tea Gorjanc Prelevic, told "Vijesti" that Duško Jovanović's family has been insisting for decades on revealing and punishing all those who participated in and ordered the murder, even though it is a painful topic for them. She said that she has no doubt that revealing all those responsible for the murder would "launch Montenegro at the door of the EU."
"Of course, all state bodies, primarily the state prosecutor's office and the police, and even the Parliament, are obliged to achieve justice in this case. Criminal prosecution for much of what is being talked about is outdated, for example, for police torture from 20 or more years ago. However, talking is less harmful than doing nothing, that's how I see it," she said.
Gorjanc Prelević assessed that anyone who has no basis for what they say publicly can bear the legal consequences, but that after so much time, the families of the victims, if nothing else, deserve the truth, and that she sees all testimonies before the committee as an opportunity to achieve that.
When asked what is needed for the competent prosecutor's offices to process these testimonies, Gorjanc Prelević replied that the important points are that the statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions has not expired, and that the testimonies can be supported by additional evidence.
Thoughtless statements are shared
Journalist and member of the Commission for Monitoring Investigations into Attacks on Journalists Predrag Nikolić, told "Vijesti" that Ćulafić's political intention is clear to relativize Paunović's statement for the needs of the DPS, but that it would have been better not to make a statement on this occasion, especially not with the statement that it is not the time to "talk so much about journalists and the most serious crimes against them." He said that calling for such things to polarize society, "from the mouths of politicians," is tragicomic.
Asked if there is a "right" time to talk about unsolved murders, Nikolić responds that there is no "good" or "bad" time for it.
"The truth should be a constant topic. However, it is not our frequent topic, which is why politicians should be constantly warned about its importance, even though they themselves know it, but their petty political interests often come before truth and justice... Of course, these are not topics that polarize society. Such reckless statements polarize society. Politicians are masters of sowing division, they make a living from it. And they do it well," Nikolić assesses.
Several ruling party officials, including the head of parliament Andrija Mandić, leader and MP of the Democratic People's Party (DNP) Milan Knežević and MEPs from the Europe Now Movement (PES) Miodrag Lakovića, called Paunović's testimony "historic", noting that the former security officer's presentation had already fulfilled the committee's purpose.
When asked whether he gets the impression that the ruling parties intend for the testimonies before the committee to result in prosecutions in prosecutors' offices, or whether they are just using them to settle scores with political opponents, Nikolić replies that daily politics is "of course the intention of the ruling parties."
"This was clear from the very announcement of the establishment of the Inquiry Committee, as well as from the cheap political marketing during the committee's session. However, what may have social importance is obtaining new data on crimes from the past. Let us hope that this will be the predominant aspect of this committee's work rather than political promotion, and that in the statements before the committee the prosecution will find elements that will help them in numerous unsolved crimes," the interlocutor said.
DPS demands apology and hearing from Paunović
Head of the DPS parliamentary group and President of the Inquiry Committee Andrija Nikolić announced at yesterday's parliamentary session that Paunović should apologize for stating that the state attacked his son, which the musician then denied. Bato Vujosevic.
Paunović accused Vujošević of being part of a group that attacked his son in 2009, while Vujošević claims that the younger Paunović caused a fight in a restaurant.
DPS spokesman Milos Nikolic he called the chief special prosecutor the day before last Vladimir Novović to question Paunović, and that party announced that Paunović read the notes constructed by the Security and Information Agency (BIA) of Serbia.
Podgorica ruling parties: Ćulafić relativizes crimes
The President of the Capital City Assembly, Jelena Borovinić Bojović, and all the heads of the ruling majority clubs in that parliament, yesterday called on Ćulafić to apologize to the families of Duško Jovanović, Slavoljub Šćekić, Pavle Bulatović, Darko Raspopović, Goran Žugić, as well as to the families of "all the victims of the 'black threes' and their orderers and executors."
They claim that the DPS councilor resorted to "irresponsible relativization that sends a dangerous message."
"... That monstrous crimes should remain unsolved, and that society should never face the dark parts of its own past, in which individuals suffered simply because they thought differently or had the courage to stand up to a repressive system," they stated.
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