The Cultural Heritage Inspectorate of the Ministry of Culture and Media is investigating whether the statue of the Chetnik commander Pavlo Đurišić (illegally) housed in the dormitory of the Đurđevi stupovi Monastery in Berane.
This was told to "Vijesti" yesterday by the department headed by Tamara Vujović (Democrats), stating that this is one of several cases in which inspection procedures are ongoing.
The ministry had ordered the removal of an illegally erected monument to Đurišić in the Berane village of Gornje Zaostro. However, the monument was removed to the local church on the same day it was discovered, on August 8. The illegal monument was removed by locals after, as they claimed, “prior agreement with the police”. The statue was then moved to the dormitory of the Đurđevi stupovi Monastery at the end of August.
The Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage told Pobjeda a few days ago that the fact that the statue was moved to the monastery's dormitory constitutes the illegal erection of a monument in the middle of a cultural property. They have therefore submitted an initiative for action to the Inspectorate for Cultural Heritage.
The Berane Basic Prosecutor's Office filed a case at the end of August regarding the relocation of the statue to the monastery.
The Ministry told the editorial staff that, in addition to the Đurišić case, they are currently investigating whether the stone icon next to the Ivanova Korita spring in Cetinje, the memorial plaque to those killed in the village of Bukovica in World War I and II in Rožaje, and the monument to the victims of the First World War in the village of Bukovica were legally placed. Throws Kurtia in Tuzi, a plaque placed at the entrance to the medieval town of Svač in Ulcinj, a bust Savo Nakićenović in Herceg Novi, as well as some other initiatives that they did not specify.
The Ministry states that, having noticed increased public and media interest in the topic of memorials, they have prepared information on ongoing procedures, those that have been completed, and potential initiatives for inspection supervision.
"Vijesti" recently announced that the Ministry will submit the information to the Government and then request instructions from the executive branch for further action.
The department headed by Vujović says that "the procedures in which illegally erected memorials were removed have been successfully completed" - monuments Jusuf Čelić in Gusinje, Rudolf Karužić Njunj in Herceg Novi, a memorial plaque to the fallen Nedajci that was located in Plužine, and a statue of Pavle Đurišić in Berane. However, it remains questionable whether the Đurišić case can be considered successfully concluded if the inspection decision was not implemented, but rather the monument was removed by the residents of Gornji Zaostar.
On August 14, the municipality of Gusinje removed a monument to World War II collaborator Jusuf Čelić (Isuf Kamer Čelaj), which had been erected in the local village of Vusanje. The monument was dismantled on the orders of the inspector for cultural property. She ordered it on August 12, giving the Gusinje administration three days to complete the work, which they complied with.
Čelić was the commander of a company of volentari (volunteers), a militia made up of Albanians living in the area of Plav, Gusinje and Albania, which, according to some historians, was responsible for crimes against the Orthodox population. This paramilitary force was formed by fascist Italy.
A memorial to Rudolf Karužić Njunj was removed from the center of Herceg Novi on August 25. As announced by the Municipality of Herceg Novi, it was determined that the monument "We Remember Our Originals" was illegally erected in 2009 on Njegoševa Street, and that there was no necessary documentation prescribed by the Law on Memorials.
The Inspector for Cultural Heritage reportedly ordered the Municipality of Herceg Novi, by a decision dated August 21, to remove the disputed landmark as a matter of urgency, and within three days at the latest. The Municipality of Herceg Novi acted in accordance with that decision and notified the Inspectorate in writing.
The applicant, regarding the monument in Plužine, requested an investigation into whether the plaque “Nedajci fell in the wars of 1912-1918”, which is located below the plaque dedicated to those killed in the war from 1941 to 1945, was erected in accordance with the law.
The Ministry reminds that in one case - the street Osman Rastoder in Petnjica - the procedure was suspended because no irregularities were found, namely that the street sign with that name was not found at the location stated in the initiative.
"Vijesti" recently wrote that inspection supervision in that municipality was suspended because a review of all documents determined that an (official) decision on Osman Rastoder Street had not been made, nor that such a street existed in the small town in the north of the country.
The newspaper reported in 2015 that some citizens of Petnjica had voluntarily erected several street name signs. Among them was one with the name Rastoder, a photo of which was published on the Facebook page of Radio Petnjica. The Municipality of Petnjica announced two months ago that the local government authorities had never considered or made a decision to name a street after Rastoder.
The authorities of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia declared Rastoder a war criminal after the end of World War II, and the leader of the Muslim Militia, a paramilitary formation that collaborated with the fascists, was killed in January 1946 under unclear circumstances.
The Ministry says that inquiries from the media, citizens, and non-governmental organizations represent the third category (potential initiatives), because, they add, there are announcements that official requests for inspection supervision will soon be submitted on these issues.
"It is important to point out that in the Department for Inspection Supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Media, in addition to the regular responsibilities they perform in conducting inspections in the field of cultural heritage, only two inspectors act on initiatives to conduct supervision in this area," they told "Vijesti".
The Ministry, they say, will continue to act on initiatives and take measures to protect cultural heritage, within its jurisdiction, by implementing laws within its jurisdiction.
"Also, taking into account the preservation of interfaith and interethnic harmony, and good neighborly relations, which are the priorities of the state of Montenegro on its EU (European Union) path," the Ministry concluded.
The Law on Memorials stipulates the prevention of the erection of monuments for events that mark the loss of freedom or independence of Montenegro, symbolize or signify cooperation with the occupier, its ally or helper, as well as for persons who were collaborators of the occupier, its ally or helper, who represented fascist, chauvinist or Nazi ideas or ideologies, who were convicted of a crime against humanity or other goods protected by international law or who were declared war criminals...
According to this regulation, monuments are erected in accordance with the erection program, which is adopted by the municipal assembly, the capital city and the royal capital, with the prior consent of the state administration body responsible for cultural affairs (Ministry).
Spajić: Don't focus on rural issues
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić (Europe Now Movement) yesterday, answering the question why he did not speak out when the monument to Đurišić was moved to the dormitory of the Đurđevi stupovi Monastery, said that he thought they spoke out in time.
"It's hard to comment on every move made in Montenegro every day. As you can see, we have an incredible opportunity to close all chapters next year, to enter the EU as the next member in 2028. The economy in Montenegro is doing quite well and it is an evident fact that salaries have doubled in four years, that pensions are three times higher, that the average salary is 1.000 euros...", said Spajić in Podgorica, at a press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Rosen Željazkov, adding that this was achieved by focusing on these, and not on "rural issues" that "certainly happen every day".
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