Fine for killing a rooster

The Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) in Kotor ordered the ML from Perast to pay a "certain amount" of money to charity in the next three months for killing a rooster, after which, if the suspect complies with the decision, the criminal charges against him will be dismissed.

This is stated in the response of the Kotor ODT to the request of the Council for Civil Control of the Police about the case of the killing of a rooster on May 15, during the event "cock shooting", when the inhabitants of Perast commemorate the victory over the Turks in the 17th century.

At that time, a criminal complaint was filed against ML for the use of firearms and the killing of a rooster.

"The case is currently undergoing deferred prosecution... and the suspect, who admitted to committing the crime, was ordered to pay a certain amount to charity within three months," the ODT's response states, among other things. Kotor.

The punishment for ML is the first for killing a rooster at that traditional event, the nature of which has caused animal protectionists to react several times. Due to the traditional shooting of a live target, the Council for Citizen Control of Police Work sent a recommendation to the organizers - the Local Community of Perast, the Society of Friends of the City of Perast and the Municipality of Kotor - to reconsider and revise the content of the event.

"It is time to re-examine the character and content of a specific traditional manifestation, all activities and contents of which must be in accordance with the positive regulations of Montenegro", it is stated, among other things, in the recommendations of the Council, adding that the manifestation, even though it is traditional, "must recognize the unquestioning respect for the law regarding the use of weapons and the moral progress regarding the questioning and rejection of traditionalism when it comes to the treatment of animals”.

The Council then invited the Government and the Council for the Protection of Animals, which was formed within the Ministry of Agriculture, to encourage activities and efforts in the direction of animal welfare protection.

At the time, the Council said that, after the final evaluation of the ODT in Kotor, they expect "that the police will be placed appropriately in the domain of their competence, bearing in mind the fact that the use of weapons is prohibited in a public place and that the safety of citizens could be endangered".

The Council previously recommended to the Police Directorate to temporarily limit the gathering in Perast in the future, and even to stop it, if it is implemented in the same way as before.