The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral will make a strategy for the defense of the temples by Christmas Day, after the Law on Freedom of Religion and Belief was adopted in the Assembly, the application of which could call into question the assets of the Metropolitanate.
"Inside the cities, priests, temples where they serve and believers should be organized. Everything will be known by Christmas Day," said the interlocutor from MCP.
Immediately after the adoption of the law, Bishop Joanikije of Budimlja-Nikšić, on the night between Thursday and Friday, called on the faithful to form "committees and brotherhoods for the defense of the holy places" in the places where they live.
European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero pointed out the "importance of a constructive political discussion in the parliament", stating that they are aware that the Parliament has adopted the Law on Freedom of Religion.
The Democratic Front will coordinate future activities with the MCP, and its moves will also depend on the position of the State Prosecutor's Office, which initiated proceedings against the three representatives of that alliance, Milan Knežević, Andrija Mandić and Milun Zogović, "Vijesti" was told.
They started a hunger strike last night, after being detained by the police.
Their lawyer Dražen Medojević told "Vijesta" that Zogović is suspected of assaulting an official in the performance of his official duty, and Mandić and Knežević are suspected of preventing an official in the performance of his official duty. The lawyer said that they invoked the immunity of deputies, but that the prosecution did not pay attention to it.
On the night between Thursday and Friday, the police detained 22 people, including 18 MPs from the DF, after the midnight incident in the Parliament, when they tried to prevent the continuation of the session, whose agenda was the vote on the Law on Religion, by ripping out pieces of technical equipment. The regulation was then adopted by the votes of the ruling majority and the SDP, and the three deputies were detained on suspicion of preventing the President of the Assembly, Ivan Brajović, from presiding over the session. Their colleagues are not under suspicion, and some of them cheered on the arrested yesterday in front of the Prosecutor's Office.
DF Presidency member Nebojša Medojević said earlier yesterday that there was no incident, but that they "as MPs of the strongest opposition party in Montenegro defended the honor, image, dignity, tradition, true values of Montenegro and that they are proud of everything that have done".
"DF was on the sidelines of those true old values and we will continue to fight. All citizens who contact us intensively today expect further plans and activities from us. DF always has a plan for everything that awaits us," he said.
He said that they expect that their colleagues will be released, stating that they will quickly start political consultations "how to proceed and articulate the huge popular dissatisfaction due to what was seen yesterday in the parliament".
Answering the question of what they will do in the coming days, Medojević said that in the previous days they had a special obligation towards the Metropolis and tried to synchronize activities with citizens, organizations, colleagues from the opposition...
"We hope that in the coming days we will also establish a certain communication with them, so that we, as the opposition public, can respond... This is an introduction to the police state, a real coup d'état was carried out in the parliament yesterday".
DF MP Slaven Radunović pointed out that they consult with all important Serbian addresses, but that they make their own decisions.
Serbian Patriarch Irinej yesterday called on the Montenegrin authorities to immediately stop the "brutal terror" against the SPC, the clergy and the faithful. The Patriarch demands the immediate release from prison of people's deputies, "political representatives of the Serbian Orthodox people in Montenegro", as well as all others who were arrested in the previous two days "for defending their holy places from state terror and looting."
The opposition condemned the arrest and method of voting, the authorities of DF MPs
Most of the parties condemned yesterday's events in the Assembly, but they evaluated them differently. The ruling coalition condemned the incident in the assembly hall caused by the deputies of the Democratic Front, while the opposition commented negatively on the adoption of the law and the arrest of their colleagues. The leader of Demos, Miodrag Lekić, said that it would not be good if the essence and method of voting on the Law on Freedom of Religion remained "in the shadow of an incident that is reprehensible, even though it was deliberately provoked by the authorities".
The DPS stated that "under the pretext of defending the SPC and the interests of the Serbian people in Montenegro," they chose blackmail and violence to achieve their goals. "In an attempt to humiliate Montenegrin institutions with primitivism, aggression, hatred and warrior rhetoric, and block the adoption of the Law on Freedom of Religion. In fact, together with the SPC in Montenegro, as many times before, they proved to be historically overcome vestiges of retrograde, aggressive Greater Serbian nationalism", the DPS pointed out.
The Social Democrats most harshly condemned the "primitivism" and "heroic" behavior of the DF MPs who mustered all their strength to "overcome a pair of parliamentary microphones".
SD President Ivan Brajović was presiding over the parliament at the time of the incident, when DF MPs tore the equipment from the chairman's desk.
"We strongly condemn calls to "war" comrades, expecting that the competent authorities, in accordance with their powers, will take appropriate measures and actions in this matter as well. It sounds incredible that at the dawn of 2020 there are people in Montenegro who are calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order and armed rebellion. It seems that the followers of the blood and soil policy did not have enough evil and suffering in the period of the disintegration of the SFRY", reminds SD.
The Bosniak party condemned, as stated, warmongering calls that were sent from the parliamentary benches and asked the institutions to ensure peace and security for all citizens.
"Deputies, as legitimate representatives of citizens, are obliged to respect the laws of Montenegro. Therefore, support to the institutions in the consistent application of laws and regulations, so that the law is applied consistently to everyone, including MPs," the announcement states.
BS supported the adopted legal solutions and stated that they believe that through the further procedure and other regulations, they will be improved.
Šćekić: Orthodox Christians are sad because of the discriminatory law
Democratic Montenegro condemned the "violent way of adopting the unconstitutional Law on Freedom of Religion". They state that this is the cowardly behavior of the Montenegrin authorities at all stages of the day, the unconstitutional and illegal arrest and detention of citizens and deputies, as well as the incitement of inter-religious and inter-ethnic hatred and intolerance."
The president of the party, Aleksa Bečić, said that he "abhors the knowledge that force was used against the clergy and monks, and especially against one of the most prominent church dignitaries, Bishop Methodius." The Democratic councilors in the Golubovci municipal council left the session yesterday as a sign of revolt that the police had arrested citizens near the Golubovci Airport the previous night.
The Socialist People's Party also condemned the attack on Bishop Metodije and the faithful, as well as the arrest of the DF MP. "As a sign of solidarity with opposition colleagues, who are in custody and because of everything said about the Law on Freedom of Religion, the SNP of Montenegro is canceling regular pre-New Year's activities in its municipal committees," the party said in a statement.
Its vice-president and the president of Berane Municipality, Dragoslav Šćekić, canceled the traditional New Year's and Christmas reception "due to new circumstances".
Šćekić told "Vijesta" that he canceled the reception as a sign of solidarity with the majority of the people of Beran and Orthodox believers in Montenegro, who are saddened by the fact that they felt enormous discrimination with the passing of the Law on Freedom of Religion.
"We cannot celebrate something that brought a huge discord and where the DPS, along with others from the government and those who supported such a legal solution, showed enormous primitivism, taking Montenegro back 2.000 years," Šćekić said.
He said that the citizens of Berane have shown what they think about the law and that they are firmly on the defense of the SPC and the holy places.
Miodrag Lekić recalled that "yesterday, in the conditions of the occupation of Podgorica and blocked roads throughout Montenegro, after midnight, the secular clergy from DPS won with partners from the trade coalition."
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said yesterday that he hopes that the heated atmosphere in Montenegro will "turn into calmer flows" and that the holy places of the Serbian Orthodox Church will not be threatened.
"I express my concern and hope that Serbian holy places and Serbian churches will be preserved, and we will, in accordance with diplomatic possibilities, strictly taking into account our rights and obligations, without collapsing the rights of any other country, to try to help our people and church."
Zeković: There is no evidence of brutality towards Metodi
The Council for Civil Control of Police Work "based on the available data and documentation could not confirm the allegations of police brutality nor did it determine the excess of police powers" in the case of Bishop Metodije of Diokli, Council President Aleksandar Saša Zeković told "Vijesta".
He stated that the Pljevlja Security Center was contacted, whose chief, Dragan Slavulj, spoke with citizens and police officers who are connected to the event, collected facts and medical documentation, and spoke with citizens who claim to be victims of police violence. After the MCP announced that their priest was beaten in Đurđević Tara, the Police Administration denied it, and the priest himself later announced that he does not condemn the police and that he does not want that incident to contribute to the worsening of the difficult situation in Montenegro.
Of the 40 citizens detained for an informational interview or held in police premises, two had objections to the police's actions, the Council for Civil Control of Police Work announced.
The Ombudsperson announced that he will initiate an ex officio investigation into the use of police powers during events in and outside the Parliament.
Minister of Internal Affairs Mevludin Nuhodžić and Police Director Veselin Veljović yesterday thanked and praised the police officers for their responsible, professional work.
Deputies removed from the session for 15 days due to disruption of work
Nebojša Medojević said that the punishment is that they cannot participate in the work of the Assembly for 15 days without a foundation. Ivan Brajović ordered the MPs to be removed from the session after the incident in the Assembly. "We did not physically attack or hurt anyone. We exchanged harsh words... Of course, this is a cowardly act by the President of the Assembly who, due to his political needs, wants to eliminate us from the further work of the Assembly, because we have very important topics today".
The Rules of Procedure of the Assembly specify that the measure of removal from the session is imposed on a deputy who, even after the measure of taking away the floor, obstructs or prevents work at the session, does not respect the decision of the President of the Assembly.
"The measure of removal from the session is also applied for the next 15 days of the Assembly session from the day this measure was pronounced. As an exception to paragraph 2 of this article, a member of parliament who is removed from the Assembly session has the right to attend the Assembly session when the vote is taken", it is stated in the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.
A police officer in Nikšić resigned because he did not want to go against the citizens
Miloje Šćepanović, a police officer of the Nikšić Security Center, resigned last night after 30 years of service because he did not want to participate, as he said, in the police action against citizens. Šćepanović told Vijesti that as a believer, neighbor and friend of those who are on the other side, he could not watch the use of force against the gathered citizens, which is why he left his job, which is the only source of existence for him and his family. Last night, a new protest was held in Nikšić due to the adoption of the Law on Freedom of Religion, during which there was a clash between citizens and the police, who used batons. At the beginning of the gathering of citizens, the spokesman of the Democratic Front, Marko Kovačević, was taken to the Security Center in Nikšić. The police informed "Vijesti" that Kovačević committed a violation without specifying which violation it was.
Several hundred citizens of Andrijevica also blocked the main road Andrijevica - Berane last night, and the blockade was stopped after the intervention of the police.
Writer: The issue of religious communities should be resolved by everyone's discussion
The EU is aware that the Parliament of Montenegro has adopted the Law on Freedom of Religion and points to the importance of a constructive political discussion in the parliament, where it belongs, said European Commission spokesperson Ana Pisonero.
"The EU reminds that any possible violation of the law should be dealt with by competent domestic authorities, in accordance with national legislation and relevant international standards," said Pisonero to "Vijesta".
Answering questions about how the EC comments on the adoption of the Law in conditions of increased risk and whether it will increase political instability in Montenegro, she recalled the statement of the EU representative from December 19 this year.
At that time, the EU said that the regulation of religious communities is a national competence, but that issue should be regulated in an inclusive manner, which brings together interested parties and is in accordance with international and European standards on human rights, and especially in accordance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission of June 24. in 2019
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