Analysts: The judiciary in Montenegro has not yet investigated war crimes

2024-11-17 10:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Analysts estimate that the judiciary has not yet investigated and documented the war crimes in Montenegro. According to them, the Judiciary does not have the political will to investigate war crimes and that the Montenegrin court, as they said, should go through a special vetting system. They emphasize that Montenegro must adhere to the recommendations of the European Commission, which in its latest report calls for concrete punishment of war crimes during the war of the 90s.

Analysts estimate that Montenegro needs a more active approach to the investigation, prosecution, trial and punishment of crimes during the war of the 90s.

Such an assessment is also recommended by the European Commission, in the latest report, where it demands concrete punishment for war crimes from Montenegro, which according to them has been clearly lacking.

The analyst and former editor-in-chief of several Montenegrin media, Xhevdet Pepiq, said that the judiciary in Montenegro has not yet investigated and documented war crimes in Montenegro.

"Unfortunately, the biggest problem is that Montenegro has not yet faced the past. Judicial institutions have not yet investigated and documented war crimes. In fact, there was a strong and organized will to avoid responsibility. The Judiciary's approach to war crimes investigation procedures must be proactive to investigate, prosecute, judge and punish effectively," said Mr. Pepiq.

Analyst Nikollë Berishaj points out that in Montenegro there is no political will to investigate war crimes and that the Montenegrin court, as he said, must go through a special vetting system.

"The Montenegrin court must go through a special vetting system, especially for war crimes. We have the example of the case in Husaj, where a large number of refugees, or rather, deportees from Kosovo, are killed in one day, and the courts in Montenegro practically do not punish any person", said Mr. Berishaj.

Mr. Pepiq said that the Judiciary should improve its approach to the investigation and prosecution of war crimes, as it is known that a number of citizens of Montenegro were participants in those crimes.

"A number of Montenegrin citizens were participants in those war crimes. "We have cases when the exiles from the war in the former Yugoslavia, who sought refuge in Montenegro, were handed over to the Serbian army of Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, and we have no judicial process for this," said Pepiq.

Mr. Berishaj believes that without trying and arresting war criminals, the judiciary in Montenegro cannot be considered independent.

"When the war criminals start entering the judicial procedure, then we can talk about an independent judiciary, a judiciary that will be an honor for Montenegro as well as for any other democratic state", said the analyst Berishaj.

In the process towards European integration, according to analysts, Montenegro is obliged to effectively prosecute war crimes in accordance with the law and international standards with access to justice and compensation for victims./ Voa