No violence against animals is justified, but the case of HN from the village of Prijelozi near Bijelo Polje needs to be viewed more broadly, in order to clarify the circumstances that led to her reaction - injuring the neighbor's dog, the family's legal representative, lawyer Marina Vlahović, told "Vijesti".
HN's family is protesting in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs building this morning.
"The HN family faces serious challenges and seeks a fair resolution to this case, and it expresses deep remorse and regret for the actions taken, the consequences that have occurred, and is ready to help ensure that each of the remaining dogs that are in inhumane conditions are adequately cared for," said Vlahović.
Vlahović points out that since the moment of their return from abroad to their property in Prijelozi, the family has "faced continuous violence and threats, which are suspected to be coming from their neighbors - the N. family, who usurped their property during the HN family's absence, for which legal proceedings are underway."
"All these unacceptable actions were aimed at forcing the HN family to leave their home, and numerous criminal charges and ongoing court proceedings confirm the seriousness and duration of this conflict, in which almost all members of the HN family are involved. First of all, the father of HN - RN was brutally beaten the night before the unfortunate event, and their neighbors-relatives, namely a member of the N family, are suspected of the attack. Similar incidents have occurred before, including two attacks in July 2024, which did not receive adequate attention from the authorities, although court proceedings are ongoing," claims Vlahović.
According to her, the day after her father was attacked again, "at one point, starving dogs, which had been released without supervision by relatives-neighbors of the N family, attacked her four-year-old daughter while she was holding a baby food in her hand."
"HN's reaction was the result of stress caused by the attack on her parent, as well as fear and the instinct to protect her child from the attack. Incidentally, HN's four-year-old daughter, in addition to being the victim of attacks by starving hunting dogs that were released daily by neighbors, the N family, which limited their movement in their own yard, is also the subject of daily mockery and verbal abuse, especially due to her physical condition, which caused additional stress and consequences for both the child and the mother," Vlahović emphasizes.
He points out that the attacks did not spare HN's sister, who "was also the victim of a physical attack suspected of being carried out by a family member of N. - a neighbor, and no one was held accountable for that case, despite the report."
"In addition, HN's mother, neither guilty nor liable, was also held accountable in court based on the agreed-upon testimonies of witnesses from the neighboring family N. On the other hand, HN's mother's reporting of multiple direct threats with guns to her and her daughters by the neighboring family N, almost every time she left the house, had no effect and these criminal reports were not processed. The HN family has been suffering from constant violence, psychological stress and daily threats to their life and health for years, and their free movement on their own property is seriously threatened, which is why they are forced to temporarily move to Podgorica, where they are now. In addition, HN receives threatening messages every day, including those that her child will be killed by an axe and raped in front of her eyes," claims Vlahović.
She points out that while she understands the emotional stress and situation HN was in, "it does not justify physical violence against animals under any circumstances."
"The blows inflicted on the dog are not and cannot be justified, although they were the result of severe stress and the need to protect one's own family at the moment when the dogs attacked her four-year-old daughter. However, I would like to point out that the dog was immediately taken away from the owner, that appropriate action was taken to ensure that the animal was cared for, examined and in good health. The dog is now under professional supervision and is being adequately cared for, which ensures its safety and well-being, which I believe must be done with other dogs as well, because the fact that the dogs were released without control and malnourished, all in a way that led to their aggressive behavior, as well as the fact that they lived in inhumane conditions, raises serious questions about the responsibility of the owners of these dogs," Vlahović said.
In addition, he says, the dog's owner, instead of taking appropriate steps to prevent further danger, used this incident as an opportunity to create a public image in which he accuses HN, "filming only the parts that fit his narrative, while at the same time taking no measures to control his dogs, even though it is clear that the dogs in his possession posed a constant threat."
"These facts, by the way, have been reported by the HN family and herself several times to the Municipal Police and the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, however, there has never been an adequate reaction. As the legal representative of the HN family, I call on the competent authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation of all reports related to violence and threats against the HN family. We also ask that the safety of the family be ensured, their property be protected and they be allowed to live in peace on their property, without fear of further threats and violence.
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