They announced a blockade of the Bijelo Polje - Berane road for January 8th.

Citizens of the Lozna Local Community near Bijelo Polje, who oppose the construction of a quarry, have announced a protest - a half-hour blockade of the BIJELO POLJE-BERANE main road in the town of Srđevac, at noon on January 8, demanding the termination of the concession contract with the company "Imperijal", owned by Vojislav Smolović.

"Our rights have been violated for many years by the Ministry of Mining and the Municipality of Bijelo Polje," the locals said in a statement signed by Irma Hasanagić.

As they remind, the violation of citizens' rights was recently determined by the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms, who determined in his Opinion that the Ministry of Mining and the Municipality of Bijelo Polje violated citizens' right to a healthy environment, and that they violated basic standards of public participation in the procedure for granting concessions for the exploitation of technical and construction stone.

The Ombudsman believes that the Municipality of Bijelo Polje also had an obligation to promptly inform the citizens of the Lozna Local Community about the planned exploitation, which the Municipality, according to the citizens, failed to do, which is why the citizens only learned that exploitation was planned in their village when they saw the machines on the ground.

The statement further states that the Municipality of Bijelo Polje continued to violate citizens' rights even after the concession was granted. As they state, the Secretariat for Rural and Sustainable Development declared itself competent for the environmental impact assessment procedure for a specific mineral exploitation project, citizens were informed about the Public Forum regarding the Study after it was completed, they were never provided with a Report on the reasons for rejecting citizens' objections, nor was it ever prepared by the Secretariat, although there is a legal obligation to do so, the Secretariat kept the final version of the Study secret from citizens for a year, the statement states, adding that they expect the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Bijelo Polje to file an indictment against the Secretariat and the responsible person in that body, and that, otherwise, they will continue their fight before the Higher State Prosecutor's Office.