HRA: 25 years since the NATO bombing, Mura's family is still without compensation and without the status of a civilian victim of war

Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the bridge in the town of Murino in the north of Montenegro. On that occasion, six civilians lost their lives, including three children. Miroslav Knežević (14), Olivera Maksimović (13), Julija Brudar (11), Vukić Vuletić (46), Milka Kočanović (69) and Manojlo Komatina (72) died. Four people were seriously injured.

Action for Human Rights (HRA) appeals to the Government of Montenegro to enter into an out-of-court settlement with the families of the victims and to provide them with the status of civilian victims of war.

"On April 30, 1999, the store and the Cultural Center and other civilian objects were damaged. No sirens were sounded, nor was there any other warning of danger, which is a fact established by a court decision that became final. The injured families sued the state for compensation damages because no one warned them of the danger of bombing, even though NATO informed the authorities in advance about all the targets they were going to target. who were obliged to inform the citizens about the danger. Deciding on the review in the case of the Komatina family, the Supreme Court took a restrictive position that the civil courts may not determine whether the damage occurred as a result of a criminal offense or not, in order to apply a longer statute of limitations that the Komatina family did not have the right to compensation for damages that had already been paid to them, while the claims of the others were immediately dismissed as out of date," HRA announced.

They add that although the Supreme Court took the position that the victims were late in asserting their right to compensation for damages, that does not mean that they do not have that right, but that they simply lost the opportunity to exercise it through the courts. That is why, HRA points out, it is up to the Government of Montenegro to fulfill its natural and moral obligation and finally compensate the victims' families.

"At the session of the Second Regular Session of the Parliament of Montenegro last year, on December 29, the Government, specifically the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare under the administration of Minister Naida Nišić, was tasked with drafting a Bill on Amendments to the Law on Veterans' Affairs by March 1, 2024 at the latest. and disability protection, which would resolve the status and compensation of the families of Montenegrin citizens who died during the bombing in 1999 and the status of those wounded on that occasion, as well as the status of the families of the victims of wars after 1990. However, the Ministry for two months is delaying the finalization of this decision, which is why the HRA today demanded from Prime Minister Milojko Spajić that, in accordance with his competences, he accelerates the completion of this process and informs the public when the proposed changes can be expected," it was announced.

HRA representatives will attend the memorial gathering at the memorial in Murino tomorrow, organized by the NGO Never Forget You, the families of the victims, the local community of Murino, the Eparchy of Budamiljansko-Niššić and the Serbian National Council.