The director of the Action for Human Rights, Tea Gorjanc-Prelević, said that the questions of Defense Minister Dragan Krapović divert attention from the responsibility of those responsible for a serious security breach in Cetinje and the actions of the ruling Democrats to criminalize and devalue everyone who organizes protests and demands the resignation of their state officials, by characterizes them as associates of drug clans and supporters of Milo Đukanović and DPS.
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"While waiting for Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defense Aleksa Bečić and Minister of Internal Affairs Danilo Saranović to resign in the general interest, I will be happy to answer the questions of the Minister of Defense of Montenegro, Dragan Krapović, who commented on behalf of the ruling political party - Democratic Montenegro my previous FB status," said Gorjanc Prelevic.
She pointed out that the Democrats have not offered evidence for their accusations, although they told the students from the group "Kamo śutra?" and all other slanders caused certain damage.
"At the same time, they also caused damage to the public discourse in Montenegro, because they introduce an undemocratic manner of intimidating critics, namely much younger, much less influential, who are not in power and who do not have the enormous powers of the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Police and the Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defense ".
She said that from the position of a citizen activist, who has been advocating for the rule of law, the development of democracy and the culture of human rights in Montenegro for two decades, she stands up for the protection of students whom the Democrats "propagandically affixed the labels of associates of criminals, just because they dared to ask resignations of security officials due to obvious security failures in Cetinje and the tragic loss of 13 lives".
The director of HRA replied to Krapović that she did not chant "murderers" at the protest, and that the organizers from "Kamo śutra?" did not say it either. who were also the only speakers.
"I consider the request of the Minister of Defense that I or the organizers of the meeting provide evidence for other people's statements as unjustified pressure and a policy of intimidation of dissenters, which the Democrats, unfortunately, are implementing from the positions of power. I could put an end there. However, if the Minister of Defense is really interested in the standards of freedom of expression , he should know that in a democratic society it is quite possible to justify calling the highest state officials in charge of security "murderers", when in two years there is a case of mass murder for the second time in the same city of 15 inhabitants, which, after the first massacre, was again left to be protected by only a few policemen".
He adds that such chanting belongs to the sphere of provocation by high-ranking government officials, which is protected by freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Constitution of Montenegro and the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
"The highest security officials are obliged to suffer this kind of provocation, at least until they resign. This position is based on several judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, e.g. on Birol v. Turkey, Eon v. France and Lingens v. Austria (see Collection of Bulletins HRA - European Court for Human Rights and Freedom of Expression".
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