BS proposes up to five years in prison for those who glorify war crimes

Bosniak Party (BS) MP Jasmin Ćorović proposed that an amendment to the Bill on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Montenegro stipulate that anyone who publicly glorifies, glorifies, justifies or otherwise affirmatively represents a person convicted by a final and binding decision of genocide, a crime against humanity or a war crime, or presents such a person as a hero, role model, liberator, defender or moral authority, or otherwise justifies him, will be punished with imprisonment from six months to five years.

Explaining the Bosniak Party's amendment, Ćorović said at a session of the parliamentary Committee for the Political System, Judiciary and Administration that glorifying war criminals, both on social networks and in public space, is behavior that, according to the BS, should not be acceptable in a modern and contemporary state that aspires to EU membership.

He said that in the current Criminal Code there is a legal norm that could be used to sanction all offenders who possibly glorify war criminals and glorify their image and deeds.

"On the other hand, in conversations with lawyers, advocates and professionals, there is a certain subtle difference between someone who denies genocide, as stated in the current law, or who denies the act of genocide, and someone who glorifies, or glorifies, the person who is guilty of committing genocide," said Ćorović.

In order to eliminate this dilemma, he pointed out that through this amendment, the BS wanted to fill this legal gap, where they would have a clear law and a clear norm defining this issue.

He pointed out that they do not want the glorification of war criminals to be normal in Montenegro, stating that no one should support it, nor are they European values.

Members of that parliamentary working body supported the Bill on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Montenegro, one of whose novelties is a new criminal offense - serious hate speech, which calls for violence or hatred towards a person or group.

Justice Minister Bojan Božović said in his response to Ćorović that they have amended the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code several times and enabled certain things that had been in place for ten or 15 years.

"In recent days, I have spoken with my esteemed colleague (Ervin) Ibrahimović about this initiative, in which he is extremely interested," said Božović.

He said that Ibrahimović, with the strength of his authority and institutional position, will continue communication with the European Commission (EC) regarding the proposed amendment, together with them.

He pointed out that the EC's opinion on this important proposal should be awaited, as was done for the previous 20 amendments, so as not to make any wrong moves in the final phase of the negotiation process.

Ćorović proposed that the Committee subsequently express its opinion on the BS amendment, and that, after receiving the opinion of the European Commission, a decision be made on further steps.