A protest memorandum from the citizens of Montenegro, published here in full.
We, the undersigned citizens of Montenegro, over and above any party affiliations, particular interests or identities of whichever kind, and motivated only by our civic concern and responsibility for the common good of Montenegro and our desire to preserve its constitutional order and freedoms, including the rights of its citizens, call on all citizens of Montenegro to sign this:
Protest Memorandum,
Which we are directing to the state leadership of Montenegro, to all those fulfilling public functions, as well as to all party leaders, trade unions, NGOs, citizens’ associations, and media, as well as to both foreign and domestic publics. We stand together in defence of Montenegro, its peace, statehood, and republican constitution, as well as the human and civil rights of all of us regardless of our political, ideological, identity or other differences.
We, the citizens of Montenegro, resolutely protest against:
+ The violent dispersal of peaceful civic protests on Saturday, 17 October 2015, and the subsequent police assaults on citizens and their deputies, which violated in the crudest manner Montenegro’s Constitution and republican system;
+ The denials and abuse of the civic, non-partisan character of the protests that took place on Sunday (October 18) by any political party, media, or interest groups, for any purpose other than the defence of Montenegro and the rights of its citizens;
+ The irresponsible actions of all political actors in the government and the opposition, who in recent days have exploited the civic, non-partisan character of these protests for their own narrow party or other particularistic interests, or for the purpose of destabilizing Montenegro and stirring civil unrest;
+ Any calls for rioting, conflict, violence and civil war; whether these calls are coming from the government, the opposition, party leaders, media, interest groups or individual citizens;
+ Any bloody-minded demagogues who in recent days have accused Montenegro’s citizens of returning Montenegro to the time of pre-independence national divisions by protesting, along with our opposition to any promotion of nationalist and cultural-fascistic rhetoric or the spreading of lies, hatred, discord, and unrest among Montenegro’s citizens.
Given the above, and in the interests of Montenegro and all of us, we the citizens of Montenegro, unblemished by corruption, the advocacy of particularistic interests or any nationalist programs, while also taking note of the political irresponsibility and lack of maturity of our political leaders, as well as the hateful and nationalist rhetoric emanating from certain media and public figures who are poisoning the public space in Montenegro and distorting our place in it, on the day that the Constitution of Montenegro was adopted eight years ago, we raise our voices and demand the following:
1. That the protests must be civic in nature.
2. That the protests must be peaceful and non-violent;
3. That the protests must be in defence of the Constitution and Montenegro’s republican system.
4. That the protests must be democratic and in defence of human rights and civil liberties.
Therefore, we appealed to the citizens of Montenegro, to come out on Saturday, October 24th (on the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Charter, which upholds the same elementary demands for survival and the expansion of civil liberties and dignity) to prevent the further degradation of the constitutional order and to demand the formation of a Government of National Unity that will organize the first free and fair elections in the country.
Long live Montenegro!
Ljubomir Đurković, Playwright and Poet
Ljiljana Raičević, President (Executive Director) of Women’s Safe House
Duško Vuković, free journalist;
Dritan Abazović, citizen and Independent Member of the Parliament of Montenegro;
Maja Kostić-Mandić, University Professor;
Ibrahim Čikić, pensioner and political prisoner, member of the Insitute for Research of Genocide Canada (IRGC);
Maja Raičević, Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Rights;
Esad Kočan, journalist;
Đuro Radosavović, author;
Milka Tadić Mijović, journalist;
Aleksandar Perović, Director of the Environmental Movement “Ozon”;
Marina Vujačić, Sociologist and Human Rights Activist;
Milan Popović, University Professor;
Milenko Popović, University Professor;
Filip Adžić, tourismologist;
Nebojša Babović, Civil Servant;
Bojan Baća, Doctoral Candidate in Sociology at York University and Visiting Doctoral Researcher at University of Gothenburg
Snežana Bajčeta, Doctoral Candidate in Communication Sciences;
Stefan Bečanović, Student;
Gojko Berkuljan, Film Director;
Balša Crvenica, Citizen;
Blažo Crvenica, Engineer and Citizen;
Dragana Crvenica, CItizen;
Katarina Cvijović, Citizen;
Dragana Čomagić, Student;
Goran Ćaćić, Architect;
Vladislav Dajković, BSc in Economics and MSc in Political Science;
Sonja Dragović, MSc in Urbanism;
Srdan Kosović, Editor of “Vijesti” Web-Portal
Ivana Drakić, Political Scientist;
Branko Dujović, Software Engineer;
Stefan Đukić, Philosopher;
Tatjana Đurišić Bečanović, University Professor;
Jovana Đurković, BA in Montenegrin Language and South-Slavic literature;
Dušan Đurović, Editor in Chief of “Polucija” Web-Portal;
Maša Elezović, Research Student at Kyoto University;
Filip Ferdinandi, Mystic and Artist of Life;
Ilija Gajević, Musician;
Jasna Gajević, citizen;
Rajka Glušica, Full Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Montenegro;
Roberto Golović, Navy Officer and Historian;
Svetlana Golović, Citizen;
Ajša Hadžibegović, Citizen;
Demir Hodžić, BSc in Political Science and MSc in Media and Communication;
Filip Ivanović, PhD in Philosophy and Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem;
Tina Ivanović, Spec.Sci in Electronics;
Vladan Jeknić, Publicist;
Bojan Jevrić, BA in Montenegrin-Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian Language and Literature;
Bojana Jokić, LGBT Activist;
Vladimir V Jokić, LLB;
Plana Jovanović, LLB;
Ognjen Jovović, BA in Philosophy and NGO Activist;
Milan Keker, LLB and Postgraduate Student of the University of Southampton;
Olja Knežević, author;
Branko Koćalo, Film Director
Nikola Koćalo, Enterpreneur;
Nebojša Komnenić, BSc in Sport Management;
Miloš Konatar, Citizen and Economist;
Gordana Kovačina, Architect and Free Citizen;
Mirsad Kurgaš, Enterpreneur;
Bojan Lalović, LLB;
Ibis Ljaić, Psychologist
Jovan Lončar, Citizen of Beranselo and American Mercenary;
Dragan Lučić, Art Historian;
Semra Mahmutović, Citizen;
Nebojša Mandić, Journalist;
Anton Markoč, Doctoral Candidate at the Department of Philosophy of the Central European University;
Nina Marković, BA in Montenegrin Language and Literature;
Petar Marković, Political Scientist and Doctoral Candidate at the Free University of Brussels and LUISS University in Rome;
Vlado Marković, Citizen;
Hanja Marović, Journalist;
Ksenija Martinović, Political Scientist;
Mirjana Medojević, Theater Director;
Zoran Mikić, Historian;
Stevan Milivojević, LGBT Activist;
Boro Milović, MSc in European Integrations and Consultant in Brussels;
Bojana Mišković, journalist;
Saša Mišković, MSc in Architecture;
Olga Mitrović, Political Scientist;
Ksenija Mrđenović, Journalist;
Danilo Mrvaljević, LLB;
Milica Nenezić, Student;
Predrag Nikolić, Civil Engineer;
Maksim Ojdanić, Citizen;
Dejan Pejović, IT Engineer;
Jelena Pejović, Interpreter
Zoran Pejović, Economist and Enterpreneur;
Miloš Perišić, Student;
Nebojša Perković, TV Producer.
Nemanja Perković, LLB;
Aida Perović Ivanović, Psychologist, Executive Director of NGO “Anima”;
Xhemal Peroviq, Civil Activist;
Radoš Peruničić, Civil Engineer;
Stefan Pižurica, Student;
Miloš Popović, Student;
Sofija Popović, Web Designer;
.Ljiljana Premović, Economist and Enterpreneur;
Marija Proročić, MSc in Architecture;
Filip Radenović, Editor at Student Radio KRŠ;
Mirko Radonjić, Theater Director;
Petar Radosavović, Historian;
Aleksandar Radović, Student;
Luka Radunović, Marketing Manager;
Rajka Raičević, Political Desk Editor at “Dan” Daily Newspaper;
Ivona Raičković, Political Scientist;
Milica Rajković, Software Engineer;
Luka Rakčević, Citizen and Independent Member of the City Council of Podgorica;
Ksenija Rakočević, Postgraduate Student of Literature;
Miodrag Rašović, MSc in Economics;
Igor Seferović, Citizen and Member of the Board of the Media Union of Montenegro;
Đorđe Stojanović, Executive Director of the Student Radio KRŠ;
Omer Šarkić, Civil Servant;
Aleksandar Šćekić, Economist;
Ana Šćepanović, Political Scientis;
Vera Šćepanović, Political Scientist and Postdoctoral researcher at the European University Institute in Florence;
Andrej Šepelj, Political Scientist;
Dragan Šepelj, Enterpreneur;
Marija Todorović, Journalist;
Dejan Tofčević, Citizen;
Jelena Trebješanin, BA in Montenegrin Language and South-Slavic Literature;
Marijana Trebješanin, Student;
Vuk Uskoković, Political Scientist;
Luka Vlaisavljević, Journalist;
Olivera Vuković, Actress at the Montenegrin National Theater;
Dalibor Vuksanović, LLB and Free Citizen;
Đorđe Zenović, LLB, Postgraduate Student at the Faculty of Law of the University of Montenegro;
Predrag Zenović, Political Scientist and Doctoral Candidate at LUISS University in Rome and University of Geneva;
Fikret Zoronjić, BSc in Economics
Photo: Jelisava Kalezić, MP and university professor. Credit: Boris Pejović/Vijesti.me.
