Democratic Montenegro MP Dušan Stjepović criticized, as he said, the inefficient judicial system, while praising the work of the police and security sector.
He stated in a press release that the court's careless decision to release suspects for the most serious crimes to defend themselves at liberty "directly endangers the security of the citizens of Montenegro."
"A 24-year-old man from Podgorica, who was suspected of attempted murder on February 22, 2025, was released to defend himself from freedom after his detention expired. Despite the gravity of the crime, the circumstances of its commission, and the obvious danger of repeating the crime, the Court in this particular case did not recognize the need to protect the public interest and safety of citizens. This same person, who was released to defend himself from freedom after his detention expired, is now suspected of committing a murder in Budva at the end of December last year. Respecting the presumption of innocence, there is a high degree of certainty, which will have to be confirmed in a hopefully more efficient court proceeding, that the same person was given the opportunity to, this time, not just stop at attempted murder. The question must be asked: does anyone in the judicial system feel responsible for the fact that this person, and this has almost become practice, was given the opportunity to again endanger the safety of citizens, or, as is suspected, deprive another person of life," Stjepović asked.
He added that the police acted "quickly and efficiently" in both cases.
"Identified the suspect, located him in a so-called shack apartment in Budva, arrested him and prosecuted him for attempted murder. However, after the detention expired, the competent court decided that the person, despite the gravity of the crime and the real danger of repeating the violence, should be released to defend himself from freedom. We can see the consequences of such a decision. Democrats have repeatedly warned that the frequent practice of releasing violent offenders and criminals represents one of the key problems of the judicial system. This is precisely why we insisted on legal solutions that would help the judiciary and enable the extension of detention in cases of serious crimes, in order to prevent the recurrence of violence and protect the lives of citizens. Would this measure with limited validity (until the judiciary gets back on its feet) completely exclude the commission of similar crimes? No, but it would certainly reduce the risk of their commission, or repetition. However, we did not receive support for such a thing. Well, let those who disputed our proposal at the time without valid arguments now ask themselves," Stjepović announced.
He also pointed out that it is clear to everyone that responsibility "cannot and must no longer be shifted to the police and the security sector":
"Who perform their part of the job professionally and in accordance with the law. The responsibility lies with that part of the system that, despite all warnings, allows persons with proven criminal intentions to freely move around the streets. Democrats demand fundamental and urgent reforms that will minimize the possibility of such omissions being repeated. Only with the proposed and similar reforms will no citizen be able to say, as they are saying now, that the system does not protect citizens, but those who are ready to pull the trigger again. And such a claim, without seriously considering our proposals and 'tightening' the judicial system, can hardly be argued and countered with common sense," Stjepović's statement reads.
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