Krnić: The July 13th Award is being abused to turn any criticism into hostility

The way this year's Thirteenth of July Award was awarded reveals a pattern that this government persistently imposes: it turns any criticism into hostility, and welcomes disagreement with slander and force, said Mirza Krnić, a Preokret councilor in the Capital City Assembly.

"One of the world's most recognized Montenegrin artists, Miloš Karadaglić, was publicly slandered simply because he, in a dignified and civilized manner, expressed disagreement with the jury's decision. Instead of an argument, he was given labels. Instead of dialogue, force was used against those who protested against this decision," Krnić said in a statement to the media.

He pointed out that such a practice renders the award itself meaningless.

"The July 13th Award is not the property of the government — it belongs to all citizens. Its symbolism is greater than any individual mandate, but it is now being abused to create an environment in which dissent is declared unacceptable to the government.

"If the government wanted to show political and cultural maturity, it would at least try to respond to criticism with arguments, rather than raising tensions and shifting everything to the terrain of ideological conflict," said Krnić.

The Preokret councilor said that this society must defend itself from exclusivity and violence in culture.

"The right to distance oneself from such decisions and environments is a basic democratic right, which is being grossly trampled upon today. Our response must be simple: freedom of thought and the dignity of creativity are not the subject of party showdowns," he concluded.