Zeković: The police's apology strengthens its credibility and public trust

The Council for Citizen Control of Police Work continuously provides support to all commemorative activities that contribute to honoring and remembering all victims, but also to improving credibility and trust in key national services, which is definitely the police, announced the president of the Council for Citizen Control of Police Work, Aleksandar Zeković, on the occasion of 23 year of deportation of BIH refugees from Montenegro.

"In this context, and on the occasion of marking the anniversary of the deportation of refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Council for Civil Control of Police Work recalls its attitude towards transitional justice and its achievements in connection with the process of the police confronting its own past. The Council reminds that in May 2012, acting on its own initiative as well as on the initiatives of civil society, it adopted and sent a recommendation to the Director of the Police Administration to apologize to citizens and the public in a responsive manner for the participation of police officers in human rights violations in the past, as well as for illegal arrests and deportation of refugees from Montenegro".

"On the same occasion, the Council supported all commemorative actions that contribute to the honoring and remembrance of all victims. The Council additionally assessed that these activities and actions have their foundation in Montenegrin positive law, as well as in the principles of human rights and international humanitarian law, and especially in UN General Assembly Resolution 60/147 "Basic principles on the right to a legal remedy and reparations for victims of serious violations of international law and serious violations of international humanitarian law", says Zeković.

The council, he added, concluded that the symbolic act of apologizing to the police organization would further strengthen the credibility of the police, improve the trust of the public and citizens in the work of the police, and be an incentive for further reforms of the police and strengthening of its professional and democratic activities.

""The Council is an independent collective ombudsman body, established by the Law on Internal Affairs, specialized in police issues that monitors and evaluates the application of police powers," Zeković announced.