HRA: Support for parents from Bijelo Polje who are on hunger strike

Action for Human Rights supports the just struggle of the fathers of infected babies in the General Hospital in Bijelo Polje, who have been on hunger strike since November 10 due to the failure to apply the law and the suspension of doctors who are on trial for infection in the Hospital. Slaviša Knežević, the father of the baby who died due to an infection, Predrag Karišik, Eldin Salemović and Ivica Ignjatović are on strike in front of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje.

The HRA assessed that the fact that such radical actions are necessary in Montenegro is extremely disturbing in order to ensure the application of the law, i.e. rule of law.

"The current Labor Law, in Article 130, paragraph 1 point 3, unequivocally mandates the temporary removal from work of an employee if criminal proceedings have been initiated against him for a criminal offense committed at work or in connection with work. The doctors of Bjelopolje Hospital were accused in May 2015 of criminal the offense committed in the course of Serious offenses against human health (Article 302 of the Criminal Code) in connection with the criminal offense - Failure to comply with health regulations for the suppression of a dangerous infectious disease (Article 287), and there is no doubt that they should have been suspended before, in November 2014 , as soon as criminal proceedings were initiated against them with an order to conduct an investigation," the HRA press release states.

It is added that the statement of the Minister of Health, Dr. Budimir Šegrt, that "it was not explicitly stated by the competent state authorities whether these doctors can work or whether they should be suspended, because all the interpretations were such that no one could read it" (as published on the website Ministry of Health).

"The provision of the current Law is quite clear, unambiguous, and the employer, we assume the Director of the Hospital, had to apply it in this case as soon as he was informed about the initiation of criminal proceedings. Today we sent a letter (attached) to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health and the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare expressing our protest and demanding the urgent application of the law and an apology to the fathers. In this sense, we join the appeal of the NGO Krug života and Parents to immediately suspend all persons against whom criminal proceedings have been initiated. We also demand that the authorities be sanctioned for not suspending them until today," the statement added.

The HRA believes that it would be appropriate for the competent minister to apologize to the fathers and other citizens for the "obvious failure in the application of the law, which led to citizens striking on the streets since November 10".