Božović: Construction of a new pavilion of the Remand Prison is planned

Minister of Justice Bojan Božović (Europe Now Movement) said that they are planning to build a new pavilion for the Remand Prison.

He announced this in the Parliament, answering parliamentary questions.

Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) MP Ivan Vuković asked Božović about the recently adopted law on the National Security Agency (ANB).

"Yesterday you saw a clear statement from the ranks of the second strongest group in the European Parliament. There is no doubt that such laws are unthinkable in any European democracy and that Montenegro made a mistake when it has the least right to it in the European integration process," he said.

He asked how, in the coming period, the implementation of this law will be monitored and the abuse of the enormous institutional power that has been given to the Agency, whose head is appointed by the Government of Montenegro, at the proposal of the Prime Minister, will be prevented.

"What are the specific control mechanisms that you will use in that direction? How can Montenegrin citizens, including those of us who are political opponents of the current government, be sure that the information collected in this way will not be misused," he said.

Vuković recalled that a few days ago, a PES MP announced in the Parliament that she was an educational worker and participated in protests against the DPS, while yesterday, Defense Minister Dragan Krapović announced that soldiers who participated in the patriotic rally had been suspended.

"In that environment, Mr. Božović, you are giving unlimited power to a number of people in the ANB. I do not know Mr. Janović and those people, they may be highly moral, but we must not come to a situation where we think whether conscience obliges these people not to abuse their power. In an environment where you hear not criticism, but accusations against people every day, they dare to raise their voice against such practices. So critically oriented media are declared protectors of crime. So non-governmental organizations that contributed more to the change of government in 2020 than the entire opposition are taken to the misdemeanor court, and the pro-European opposition is declared to be some kind of Russian agents," he said.

He added that they met with EC representatives in Brussels and asked them how they would monitor the implementation of this law, because they cannot monitor the data of the secret services.

Marković said that she went to protests in her free time, and that she had school administrations that understood this, but that she was not afraid.

"We know that pressure is being exerted in some schools... There have been cases of arrests due to status, of losing jobs, of not getting jobs. My brother couldn't get a job, my niece couldn't get citizenship for 30 years," she said.

Vuković responded that during the procession, thousands of citizens signed a petition in support of the church, and then in "free Montenegro" people are suspended for attending protests.

Božović said that it is natural for every citizen to wonder how much someone is invading their privacy.

"There is still the majority of the authority, which, especially if we are talking about the current Law on the National Security Agency, all of which must be reviewed by the president or the Council of the Supreme Court. These activities that have remained as rights at its disposal have remained only in those situations when prompt action must be taken. It is very important to emphasize - this must be harmonized with, as we colloquially call it, the Law on Personal Rights. Neither the previous law nor this law has been fully harmonized with European practice," he said.

He added that in order to carry out controls, courts are needed, as well as citizens who will send complaints to the Agency and other institutions, as well as the EC. He also recalled that there have been complaints about abuse of the ANB's jurisdiction in the past.

Božović pointed out that since he has been at the helm of the Ministry of Justice, there has been no revanchism in his department.

Vuković said that things that were once subject to complaints have been legalized today.

"You said it yourself, it's a law that needs to be changed in a few months. I expected you to say 'let's stop, people, and adopt regulations on the protection of personal data', but you didn't say that," he said.

Independent MP Miodrag Laković said that even the best law can be abused, and that it is necessary to develop mechanisms to prevent this from happening.

Oskar Huter (DPS) asked the minister about RTCG Director General Boris Raonic.

"In addition to several final judgments confirming that Mr. Raonić was illegally elected as the director of RTCG, Mr. Raonić ignores them and they have no effective effect. Despite the above, we are also witnessing other illegal actions that are reflected in the incitement of members of the RTCG Council to disrespect the judgment of the Higher Court, for which four members of this body were sentenced in the first instance to seven months of suspended prison sentences," he pointed out.

"For almost four years, Raonić has been performing his function illegally, and the damage to the RTCG budget, and to the citizens of Montenegro, is over 200.000 euros. In addition to material damage, Raonić's illegal appointment has become a regular part of the EU's annual reports on Montenegro. Dear Minister of Justice, how do you explain the fact that numerous final court judgments in Montenegro, such as this one, remain unenforced, which directly undermines the rule of law and the legal security of citizens? Do you consider such a situation to be evidence of the institutional powerlessness and weakness of the state? Who bears responsibility for the failure to enforce court decisions and what specific, urgent measures will you take to end the practice of judgments remaining a dead letter on paper," he asked the minister.

Božović responded that this is one of the challenges they have had in the last few years - the non-execution of judgments.

"The fact is, on the other hand, that we have a whole series of court proceedings and as few of these verdicts are legally binding, I will admit, I do not want to comment on them," he said.

Huter pointed out that there is no complete legal epilogue, for example in the case of Milivoje Katnić.

"Specifically for Raonic - he escaped a final verdict twice. Once with the help of the Council that elected him on June 1, 2023, and the second time by resigning and moving into an acting position," he pointed out.

Hutter asked the minister to comment on "the targeting of journalists by the government."

Božović said that there are harsher speeches in the Parliament.

"Any suppression of any media outlet is unacceptable from my point of view. Any targeting of any person who has not been convicted by a final verdict is not something I will ever welcome," he said.

Nikola Rakočević (DPS) asked the minister about detainees and convicts in the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS).

"According to your information, is the health care of detainees and convicted persons at UIKS at a satisfactory level, taking into account international conventions and domestic regulations concerning human rights and the right to health and medical care?", is his question.

He explained that he had certain information given to him by doctors, and added that prisoners with communicable diseases were not separated from those who tested negative for them.

"Does the inpatient unit at UIKS meet the requirements of inpatient units prescribed by the Ministry of Health criteria and if so, according to which document," he additionally asked.

Rakočević pointed out that the prison only has an inpatient unit, not a prison hospital.

Božović said that a huge challenge for the entire management of UIKS is the number of people held there, and that the Remand Prison was built in the 80s for a smaller number of people.

"According to my knowledge, these people are being separated, but if we have other examples, I will personally engage in preventing this. We have increased the number of doctors and specialists, but there are also more people looking for it. We are working with my colleague (Vojislav) Šimun and the Ministry of Health to resolve this, but with my colleague (Majda) Adžović we have opened a new topic, which is the construction of a new pavilion for the pre-trial detention center within the existing complex," he pointed out.

Rakočević recalled that there was a request to increase the detention period from three to five years, which is "undemocratic and contrary to European standards."

"We need a hospital in prison. Some detainees are treated not as convicts, but as the worst human beings," he said, adding that when they are treated in hospital, detainees are tied to beds.

The DPS MP pointed out that Budimir Krstović's health was permanently endangered after he was arrested and detained.

"When it is assessed that healthcare needs to be sought elsewhere, it is almost impossible to go to the Clinical Center," he said.

He called for the formation of an independent team to assess the situation at UIKS.

Božović pointed out that "94 percent of the prison hospital has been built" and that "it will be finished by the end of the year."

"A court expert has been hired several times to determine the situation in the hospital, but I absolutely accept the formation of that commission. I think it would be good for a representative of both the government and the opposition to participate in that commission," he said.

When it comes to visits to the Clinical Center, Božović called on his colleagues to "inform them about the number of visits on a weekly basis."

Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Mirsad Nurković (Bosniak Party) called for the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms and the Committee on Health, Labor and Social Welfare to be included in its formation, if a commission is formed.

Rakočević announced that he will convene a meeting next week to discuss the formation of the commission.

Laković said that the bill calling for increasing detention to five years is not contrary to European standards, and that such a length of detention exists in many European countries.

Rakočević responded that detention should not be extended, but rather that the judiciary should be made more efficient, and that the Court in Strasbourg believes that a period of two to three years is appropriate.