Civil Society: A monument to a criminal is a monument to hatred towards others

A group of twelve non-governmental organizations and civic activists condemned the installation of a monument to Pavle Đurišić in Gornji Zaostar near Berane.

They remind us that this is a war criminal, Chetnik commander, Nazi collaborator and Ustasha ally, who was decorated by Adolf Hitler himself.

"Such an act is not just revisionism - it is an open celebration of evil. This shameful attempt to turn killing, slaughter, rape and ethnic cleansing into a justifiable act, and to elevate the criminal as a hero, will not succeed in erasing the facts we all know. A monument to a criminal is a monument to hatred towards others," the statement reads.

"Pavle Đurišić is remembered for his monstrous crimes against the Muslim civilian population of northern Montenegro, including the murders of at least 8.000 women, children and the elderly, as well as the systematic rape, torture and burning of villages. Erecting a monument to such a man is not an act of remembrance, but an open celebration of fascist ideology and brutal crimes committed in the name of ethnic and religious hatred, and therefore the deepest possible moral failure of Montenegro," they say.

This, they said, not only insults the victims and their families, but also directly undermines the civic and anti-fascist character of contemporary Montenegro, based on the achievements of July 13 and the fight against fascism. "Celebrating a man responsible for mass crimes means celebrating hatred, normalizing crimes and nullifying the values on which Montenegrin society is based - humanity, heroism and the fight for freedom."

They called on the Ministry of Culture and Media to urgently take measures to remove the illegally erected monument and to publicly, clearly and unequivocally condemn such an act. They also called on the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office to "end its policy of ignoring such cases of glorification of hatred."

They say that the VDT's stance - that the previous glorification of Pavle Đurišić as a hero and hero does not constitute hate speech - could only have encouraged the erection of the monument.

"We also remind you that on May 20, 2025, Seven NGOs officially warned Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Marković "We have pointed out that the public glorification of Pavle Đurišić and the Chetnik movement in Montenegro, and in particular Pavle Đurišić, who led ethnic cleansing with mass murders of civilians in the areas of Bijelo Polje and Pljevlja, Foča and Čajniče, constitutes hate speech within the meaning of Article 9a and Article 34a of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination, and that its celebration inevitably incites hatred towards the Bosniak population and citizens of the Islamic religion. Such behavior, according to the Criminal Code (Article 370, paragraph 1), constitutes a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment for six months to five years," the statement reads.

Unfortunately, as they said, there was no institutional reaction.

"The atmosphere of impunity and institutional inaction, which we have been observing for years, has directly contributed to the fact that today in Montenegro, in the 21st century, a monument is being erected to a man who is a symbol of collaboration with the Nazis and Ustashas. The current government in Berane, the parliamentary majority and the Government of Montenegro bear full responsibility for this, which, with their silence, relativization and political calculations, have opened space for the vampirism of ideologies that threaten to endanger the very substance of a civil, democratic and European Montenegro," reads the statement signed by:

1. Daliborka Uljarević, Center for Civic Education (CCE)
2. Tea Gorjanc Prelević, Human Rights Action (HRA)
3. Ervina Dabižinović, Center for Women's and Peace Education ANIMA
4. Miloš Vukanović, Association of History Professors of Montenegro HIPMONT
5. Filip Kuzman, Antifascists Cetinje
6. Demir Ličina, Association Štrpci - Against Oblivion
7. Velija Murić, Montenegrin Committee of Lawyers for the Protection of Human Rights
8. Maja Raičević, Women's Rights Center (WRC)
9. Milica Kovačević, Center for Democratic Transition (CDT)
10. Nevenka Vuksanović, Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM)
11. Jovana Marović, civic activist
12. Dina Bajramspahić, civic activist