Executive Director of the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS) Vanja Ćalović said that the citizens of Montenegro and the Balkans must not accept the idea that all is lost, that nothing can be changed and that silence is the only way to survive.
She said this in Milan, during a speech on the occasion of the awarding of the Giorgio Ambrosoli award, emphasizing that she sees this recognition primarily as confirmation of the work of MANS and all those who believe that the fight for the rule of law, responsibility and public interest is never in vain.
Ćalović, MANS announced earlier, received the award for her integrity, responsibility and professionalism in protecting the rule of law, especially in, as they emphasized, unfavorable circumstances and under undue pressure.
The award is named after Italian lawyer Giorgio Ambrosoli, who was murdered in 1979 after exposing criminal financial flows linked to the mafia, which is why the recognition in Italy has a strong symbolism of defending legality, public interest, and the fight against corruption and organized crime, according to MANS.
"I am very honored to receive this award, which is named after Đorđe Ambrozoli - a man whose example reminds us that integrity is not an abstract virtue, but a concrete decision: not to bow to pressure, not to remain silent when the law is broken, and to defend the public interest even when the price is very high," said Ćalović.
She stated that she does not see the recognition only as a personal reward, but as recognition of the work of MANS and her colleagues.
"I especially share it with my closest collaborator Dejan Milovac, with whom I shared some of the most difficult and important moments of this work," said Ćalović.
Speaking about the situation in the region, she said that she comes from the Balkans, "from a region where corruption and organized crime are not abstract concepts, but forces that shape people's everyday lives."
"They determine who gets a job, who has access to justice, who can rely on institutions and exercise basic rights, and who is left without a real chance for a normal life," said Ćalović.
She emphasized that she also sees the award as a message to the citizens of Montenegro and the Balkans not to give up.
"Do not accept the idea that all is lost, that nothing can be changed, or that silence is the only way to survive. Changes do not always begin with great victories. Sometimes they begin with one question, one document, one refusal of blackmail, one decision not to look away and not to remain silent in the face of injustice," said Ćalović.
She emphasized that the fight against corruption and organized crime is not just the job of prosecutors and the police, but a fight for a normal life.
"For schools where knowledge is worth more than connections; for jobs that are obtained through ability, not party or criminal loyalty; for institutions that protect citizens, not the powerful; for a society in which courage is not punished, but respected," Ćalović stated.
She said that the award also has a special personal meaning for her, as it comes at a time when she is recovering from treatment and gradually returning to her professional duties.
"It represents an additional incentive for me to persevere in the fight for the values I believe in," said Ćalović.
She said that this fight can only be successful if there are people who continue even when it is difficult, dangerous, and when it would be easier to give up and leave than to stay and fight.
"That is why I dedicate this award to all those who, in Montenegro, in the Balkans and beyond, often without protection and without recognition, oppose corruption, organized crime and abuse of power," said Ćalović.
She especially dedicates it, as she stated, to young people who are deciding whether to leave their country, to remain silent or to fight.
"My message to them is simple: your future must not be stolen by corruption and organized crime. It belongs to you. And it is worth fighting for," concluded Ćalović.
The event was held with the support of several Italian institutional, cultural and economic organizations, including the City of Milan, the Lombardy Region, the Milan Chamber of Commerce, the Union of Italian Chambers of Commerce, the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia Institute, the Cariplo Foundation and Confcommercio.
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