Government of Montenegro
Mr. Milojko Spajić, Prime Ministerr
Podgorica, 16/04/2024
Subject: Initiative for Montenegro to sponsor the UN Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica
Dear Mr. Spajić,
taking into consideration that the draft resolution of the United Nations on the genocide in Srebrenica will be presented on 17 April this year in New York in a closed session, we invite you to be consistent concerning the current position of Montenegro and join the countries that co-sponsor this Resolution. Since it is understood that Montenegro will vote for the Resolution on 2 May, we consider that it should go one step further and join the group of currently 18 countries of the world that co-sponsored it and who understand the importance of peacebuilding. From the states of the region, so far Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and North Macedonia have announced that they will be co-sponsors of the aforementioned resolution.
As the most serious candidate for membership in the European Union, Montenegro must demonstrate the capacity not only to implement the decisions of international courts and respect its international obligations but also to demonstrate in practice that it nurtures the universal values on which the community it wants to join rests. Moreover, by nurturing regional cooperation and good neighborly relations for which it was recognized, Montenegro must significantly contribute to raising the culture of remembrance of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica to the international level. The majority of Montenegro wants to pay respect to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in a dignified manner, as it has done so far.
The UN resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica builds on the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, UN Resolution 827 on the establishment of the International Tribunal for War Crimes in the former Yugoslavia, the judgment of the International Court of Justice from February 2007 in which the crime in Srebrenica was declared genocide, as well as the judgments of the Hague Tribunal, by which so far seven people have been convicted of the genocide committed against the Bosniaks in Srebrenica.
In 2009, the Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Declaration on the acceptance of the resolution of the European Parliament (EP) on Srebrenica in 2009, and in 2021 the Resolution on the genocide of Srebrenica, for which the majority of 55 MPs voted, while 19 were against, seven abstained (“Official Gazette of Montenegro”, No. 66/2021 of 21/06/2021). Noting that the denial of the genocide in Srebrenica did not stop even after the adoption of that Resolution and that Remembrance Day was not established even though the Resolution provides for it, it is clear that not enough has been done to accept the facts and responsibly ensure a common future.
Accordingly, we expect that by formally signing the form on the co-sponsorship of the United Nations Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, you will show not only that you stand by everything that is written in these documents, but also that you place Montenegro on the right side of history, where it always belonged.
Thank you for considering the initiative, we expect that the Government will act by it and make us proud citizens of Montenegro.
Respectfully,
Milica Kovačević, Centar za demokratsku tranziciju (CDT)
Jovana Marović, Advisory group “Balkans in Europe” (BiEPAG)
Dina Bajramspahić, civic activist
Tea Gorjanc Prelević, Human Rights Action (HRA)
Miloš Marković, Active Zone
Daliborka Uljarević, Centre for Civic Education (CCE/CGO)
Ljupka Kovačević, Center for Women’s and Peace Education ANIMA
Maja Raičević, Women’s Right Center
Milka Tadić, Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro
Milica Kovačević, Center for Democratic Transition (CDT)
Zorana Marković, Center for Development of Non-governmental organisations (CRNVO)
Velija Murić, Montenegrin Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights
Olivera Nikolić, Media Institute
Ivana Vujović, Juventas
Aida Perović, Prima
Jovan Ulićević, Spektra Association
Demir Ličina, Association „Štrpci – Against Oblivion“
Additional signatories:
Varja Đukić, actor
Zenepa Lika, civic activist
Edin Smailović, historian
Mladen Zadrima, journalist
Dalibor Tomović, lawyer
Jasna Tatar Anđelić, professor at the University of Montenegro
Kerim Međedović, Agency for Local Democracy (ALD)
Maja Bogojević, Agora Femina
Center for Multimedial Production
Nardi Ahmetović, Center for Affirmation of RE population (CAREP)
Marija Popović Kalezić, Center for Civic Freedoms
Aida Petrović, Montenegrin Women Lobby
Almedina Dodić, Eduko plus
Milan Radović, Civic Alliance
Goran Janković, Gradionica
Maja Gardašević, Diši
Don Bosko Center
Velida Hodžić, Ikre
Edina Hasanaga Čobaj, Youth Initiative for Human Rights
Momčilo Šćekić, IPO Montenegro
Munevera Sutović, Mrav
Culture Bridge
Development Vranj
Neda Radović, NGO System
Dušan Rakočević, NGO Heart
Raza Nurković, SOS Rožaje
Miloš Vukanović, Association of History Professors HIPMONT