The announcement of the Law on Agents of Foreign Influence is a new level of pressure on the civil sector in Montenegro, but the targeting of activists is not new in Montenegrin society and shows that for decades the authorities do not understand or do not want to accept criticism coming from non-governmental organizations, the Center for Democratic transition (CDT).
They say that there are many examples, and that, depending on the current political or social context or moment, various NGOs, as well as journalists, civil and environmental activists, human rights fighters, feminists, were "targeted".
It is worrisome, they say from CDT, that the targeting came and is coming from the highest state officials, who without reservation declare civil activists "enemies of the state" and those who undermine democracy in Montenegro.
"The fact that the coalition for the future of Montenegro (ZBCG) decided to 'make Montenegro a truly free country' by demanding the urgent proposal of a law on agents of foreign influence, an initiative that focuses on non-governmental organizations, is the moment that led to the latest campaigns targeting civil activists. So we got to a situation where the Vice President of the Government for Infrastructure and Regional Development Milun Zogović calls civil activists 'rabbits', which can also be interpreted as pests, when he says that the announcement of the law on foreign agents 'drove out all rabbits from the bushes', as well as that there was general hysteria and that it was shown that there is no political will to pass such a law," CDT announced.
They believe that a fundamental lack of understanding of the functioning of the civil sector is also shown by some MPs, such as MP of the New Serbian Democracy and President of the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms, Jovan Vučurović, who, as stated by the CDT, while commenting on the announcement of the law on "foreign agents", claims that part of the NGO sector acts as political and parapolitical organizations that, on behalf of certain interest groups, do not communicate their views, as stated in the programs and statutes of those NGOs, but political views.
This kind of interpretation is not only dangerous, but also represents a clear attempt to stifle critics of the authorities who act in the public interest, but is also a potential threat to human rights, including freedom of expression and association, according to the CDT.
They also said that the aforementioned statements further confirm the thesis that the goal of this proposed law is to introduce the practices of authoritarian regimes, stifle free thought and label civil society as "foreign agents" and "enemies of the state".
CDT points out that the ZBCG coalition is not the first to try to justify targeting the civil sector in this way, which, among other things, has a controlling role of elected representatives in power in their countries, but that a similar maxim was initially used by "their patrons in Russia, until Republika Srpska and elsewhere".
"The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the Russian law on foreign agents violates the rights of groups and individuals labeled as foreign agents. A similar one was adopted by Hungary, but it was overturned in 2021 after the European Court of Justice found that it did not In accordance with EU rules, the Law on the Defense of National Sovereignty was adopted in December 2023. The European Commission announced that it will sue Hungary at the International Court of Justice, which is similar to the one passed in Russia , in Slovakia, the ground is being prepared for the adoption of a similar law. The EU has automatically reacted and warned that Slovakia will face the same legal response that Hungary received. Due to the adoption of the law, which is modeled after the Russian one, Georgia received an official 'stop ' on the way to the EU," writes CDT.
They remind that in the Bosnian entity Republika Srpska, a similar bill was supposed to be considered last spring, but it was withdrawn from the procedure. "These announcements were negatively reacted to by the EU delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the US embassy and (the OSCE). In 2014, the parliament of Kyrgyzstan also rejected the proposal for a law on foreign agents because it was deemed undemocratic. The law, which is called a copy of the Russian one, is in the end, it was adopted in April this year, and all NGOs that receive money from abroad and engage in political activities are labeled as 'foreign representatives' and are threatened with a ban on their activities. The adoption of the law was condemned by international organizations, as well as the USA and the EU," they added.
When we have such messages and calls from holders of high government positions, CDT says, it is to be expected that certain media close to them, as well as numerous anonymous profiles on social networks, will decide on a more brutal and dirty online campaign, which often brings with it hate speech against civil activists.
Thus, we could read in media reports that 'fabulously paid organizations are actually suppressing free thought in Montenegro', that panels, summits and press conferences are suitable for 'ritual gathering of empty-headed subscribers of foreign grants and sellers of Brussels and Washington fog'... Non-governmental organizations it is also understood that they are afraid that it will be discovered that they 'in some way depend on the budget users of some other countries in many ways,'" CDT adds.
Representatives of the non-governmental sector are often labeled as "foreign mercenaries", "agencies", "spies", "grant stars". physical violence against civil activists.
"The former President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, once saw 'political mice' in critics and dissidents. Responding to the question about the reality of 'Sanaderization' (the process that began in Croatia with the arrest of former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on charges of corruption), Đukanović spoke of those who spoke about the certainty of a similar epilogue in Montenegro, he said that 'we are talking about immature political figures, political mice who need, above all, extermination.' and that they only 'play the media and the NGO sector, all so that they can be fighters for foreign donations,'" writes CDT.
They also recalled other cases.
Dritan Abazović said that, in addition to politicians, the mafia and criminals, non-governmental organizations stand as an obstacle on Montenegro's European path, when he was the vice-president of the Government of Montenegro. activists, so we witnessed the example of Miomir Vojinović, the former minister of education, calling certain media and non-governmental organizations "soul-makers" and saying that they should not question the legality of his actions, but only the competent state authorities and numerous environmental activists, and they were expected to block the construction of hydroelectric power plants for the sake of other people's interests, drive away investors, challenge the decisions of local authorities...", adds CDT.
They say the conclusion is clear:
"Exactly in this way, they want to underestimate, make senseless and threaten the enormous influence that non-governmental organizations had and have in the democratization of society, advocating exclusively for the faster and better fulfillment of the requirements for membership in the European Union, which boil down to the rule of law and the mandatory protection of human rights. rights".
CDT announced that the text was created with the support of the Ad Hoc grant of the regional project SMART Balkan - Civil society for a connected Western Balkans, which is implemented by the Center for the Promotion of Civil Society (CPCD) BiH, the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) North Macedonia and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) Albania, and is financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. The content of the text is the sole responsibility of CDT and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway or the SMART Balkan Consortium, they note.
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