A memorial gathering was held yesterday at noon in front of the Herceg Novi police station to mark the 33rd anniversary of the war crime involving the deportation of Bosnian refugees. The event was organized by the Human Rights Action (HRA), the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), and ANIMA – Center for Women’s and Peace Education. Attendees included family members of five victims, representatives of the Montenegrin Government and Parliament, the Ombudsman, leaders of the Bosniak Council, representatives of the Islamic Community, international organizations, embassies, political parties, NGOs, media, and citizens.
Despite high expectations, this anniversary was again marked without the reopening of a criminal investigation, without a monument and without the official recognition of a memorial day for the victims.
However, just prior to the memorial gathering, an encouraging meeting took place with the mayor of Herceg Novi and the president of the local assembly. Tea Gorjanc-Prelević, Executive Director of HRA, expressed hope by saying, “I believe we are at the beginning of the year in which we will finally see a monument.” She called on Herceg Novi to extend a hand to the victims’ families.
“What happened to them in this town should never have happened. It was tragic, unjust, and shameful to send people who sought refuge back to their executioners. There was no justification for it. There was knowledge about what would happen. Some honorable police officers were concerned and even freed some of those arrested”, Gorjanc-Prelević said during her speech.
Minister of Culture and Media, Tamara Vujović, stated that the pain of this crime still lingers after 33 years.
“How could such a crime have occurred? It is difficult to comprehend, but remembering and speaking about it is healing. We must confront the fact that someone close to us may have been a participant or perpetrator. Why didn’t they speak up? Why didn’t they oppose their superiors?” she asked during her speech.
Minister of Social Welfare, Family, and Demography, Damir Gutić, said that Montenegro must correct this dark chapter of its past by bringing the perpetrators and those who ordered the crime to justice. “The second thing we must do is bring peace to the souls of the victims – find their remains and ensure they receive dignified burials. Families need a place to go and know their loved ones rest there. The next step is to erect a memorial, and I call on the Municipality of Herceg Novi and the Ministry of Culture and Media to help make this monument a reality”, he emphasized, among other things, Gutić.
Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Fatmir Đeka, emphasized the need to build a society where every citizen feels safe, dignified, and respected, regardless of their origin, religion, nationality, or any other identity. “Facing the past is a sign of a society’s moral maturity. Let us learn from past mistakes and build a culture of remembrance and respect, which will be the foundation of peace, reconciliation, and coexistence. It is our duty and moral obligation to teach future generations to resist nationalism, religious intolerance, and hatred”, it is part of his messages.
Novica Obradović, State Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, stated that they had gathered at a place that reminds them of human suffering, institutional failure, and the importance of collective memory. “We are not just honoring the victims, but reaffirming Montenegro’s commitment to truth, justice, and the dignity of every individual, regardless of origin, religion, or nationality… Nurturing a culture of remembrance and openly discussing painful chapters of our history does not divide us—it lays the foundation for trust and reconciliation”, Obradović said.
Montenegro’s Ombudsman, Siniša Bjeković, said that while the country had shown much warrior courage, it lacked civic courage. “We cannot talk about the human rights of those who are no longer with us. They had the right to live, to be with their families, to escape torture and persecution, to love, to be educated, to be equal. And they were denied all of it. The monument we speak of will not only honor the victims but also serve as a reminder of a time when conscience was asleep”, Bjeković stated at the meeting.
Family members of the victims also addressed all gathered. Hikmeta Prelo, mother of Amer Prel, the youngest deportation victim (18 years old), said that her son, brother, and brother-in-law were taken in May 1992. “They said it was for questioning, but there was no questioning. I have no bones, no trace of my son, my brother, or my brother-in-law. I live on, through dark days. I just want what was promised today to be fulfilled. To walk by, see that plaque, read the name, and have something to remember”, she said. Her full statement is available here.
Sejda Krdžalija, mother of 22-year-old Sanin Krdžalija, who was taken away, also called for a memorial to be built. “Last time I was here, they all promised – the next time we come, it will be for the unveiling of that monument. I would like to thank everyone, especially those we met with this morning, the mayor and assembly president of Herceg Novi, who gave us support and promised it would happen. I hope that our next visit will be to see that monument unveiled. That is the least that can be done”, she emphasized, among other things.
Alen Bajrović, son of the late Osmo Bajrović, thanked Herceg Novi Mayor Stevan Katić and Assembly President Miloš Konjević for, as he put it, opening their doors to the victims and extending a hand along with a promise to work on building the memorial within the police building grounds. He recalled the tragic events of May 1992 and called on Montenegrin authorities to prosecute those responsible for the crime. “To this day, we don’t even know the exact number of those detained, just speculations, let alone where they ended up. I am still searching for my father’s remains. I call on the Special Prosecutor’s Office to initiate proceedings and prosecute all who took part in this war crime – from the direct perpetrators to those who issued orders and those in power at the time who bear command responsibility”, Bajrović said.
Ervina Dabižinović, coordinator of ANIMA, said it is difficult to keep hearing promises about the memorial for so many years. “Such a monument wouldn’t only be a gesture of respect toward the victims, but also a sign that society is ready to take responsibility for what happened. The state knew what would happen to them, yet accountability is still not established. It’s impossible to speak without mentioning that the Ministries of Culture and Education must take the lead in integrating content about war crimes in Montenegro into education. A plaque would not only mark a state crime but show that we are committed to ensuring future generations don’t repeat our mistakes”, Dabižinović said.
Džemal Dacić, a representative of the Islamic Community and envoy of the reis, emphasized the need to build dialogue as a necessity of modern society, especially in a region burdened by the weight of the past. “If we strive to establish that dialogue and admit the failures of the past, we will face each other, look one another in the eye, shake hands, and accept shared responsibility. That way, we will greatly enhance our coexistence”, Dacić concluded.
Damir Suljević, Human Rights Programme Coordinator at the CCE, stated that today in Herceg Novi, they are not only remembering, but also warning that forgetting can become a form of complicity. “We are also warning about the wrong name of a street, which can be a new wound, because respect for the victims is not measured by statements, but by facts, responsibility, empathy – and the monument we are still waiting for”, Suljević emphasized.
Amina Murić, representative of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, pointed out that unpunished crimes continue to live on in other forms – through hate speech, nationalism, intolerance, and violence among young people. “It is important that we know what happened. Not so we remain stuck in the past, but so that we can prevent it from happening again… Democracy is not killed only with weapons, democracy is also killed through silence. That is why we are choosing today to speak out and to remember”, said Murić.
President of the association “Štrpci Against Oblivion” Demir Ličina apologized on behalf of Montenegro to the families of the victims for the crime that was committed and expressed support for the appeals to place a memorial in front of the Herceg Novi Security Center. “Make the decisions. That is the simplest thing to do. That is how the memorial will be built”, Ličina emphasized.
The gathering was also attended by Sanela Krdžalija Bašić, sister of the late Sanin Krdžalija, the aunt of the late Amer Prel, and the sister of Himzo Čengić, Fikreta Hadžić. Also present at the gathering were Minister of Regional Investment Development and Cooperation with NGOs Ernad Suljević, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro Mirsad Nurković, Members of Parliament Amer Smailović and Edina Dešić. On behalf of the Ministry of the Interior, attendees included the Director General of the Directorate for Security and Supervisory Affairs Zoran Kujović and the Chief of the Herceg Novi Security Department Dragan Kontić, along with police officers. Representing the Ministry of Defense was State Secretary Marko Marković.
On behalf of the Ministry of European Affairs, Montenegro’s Chief Negotiator with the EU Predrag Zenović attended the commemoration, along with representatives from the Office of the President of Montenegro, Marija Vesković and Drago Šundić, and on behalf of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, legal advisor Branko Vujisić. The Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro, Branimir Jukić, was also in attendance. Representing the Municipality of Herceg Novi was the Secretary of the Secretariat for Ecology and Energy Efficiency Aleksandar Božović, along with members of the local parliament.
Among the participants were also representatives of UNDP in Montenegro, political parties (URA, SDP, SD, Bosniak Party, Liberal Party), and NGOs (Center for Nonviolent Communication from Sarajevo, Association of War Victims Foča 92–95, Civic Alliance). The list of participants is available here.
FACTS
According to available state documents, at the end of May 1992, the Montenegrin police arrested and deported over one hundred individuals, including at least 66 Bosniak Muslims, 33 Serbs, and two Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, research conducted by Šeki Radončić, who investigated this crime, indicates that as many as 105 Muslims were deported, with a total of 143 individuals involved.
The Serbs were conscripted into the army of the Republika Srpska, and there is no information suggesting that any of them died as a result of the deportation. On the other hand, Bosniak Muslims, or individuals whom the police assumed were of that ethnicity, were handed over to that army as hostages, allegedly to be exchanged for captured Serb soldiers. However, almost no exchanges took place. Most of them were killed. Those deported from Herceg Novi on May 25 were mostly executed in a camp in Foča, while others deported on May 27 were sent to Bratunac, where they were also killed. The remains of many victims have still not been found. Only twelve individuals survived being handed over to the concentration camps.
Other Muslim refugees were also arrested at the end of May and in June 1992 in Bar, Podgorica, or near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were deported individually to the camp in Foča or handed over to agents of the Republika Srpska, after which all trace of them was lost.
THREE INITIATIVES
Fourteen years ago, in 2011, the Human Rights Action (HRA), Center for Civic Education (CCE), ANIMA, and then-member of the Council for Civilian Oversight of Police Work Aleksandar Saša Zeković submitted three initiatives:
- To the then-President of the Parliament of Montenegro Ranko Krivokapić and all parliamentary group leaders – to declare a Day of Remembrance for the victims of the refugee deportation crime of 1992;
- To the then-Prime Minister Igor Lukšić, Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Brajović, Minister of Culture Branislav Mićunović, and then-President of the Herceg Novi Municipal Assembly Dejan Mandić – to erect a memorial to the victims of the 1992 refugee deportations in front of the Police Administration building in Herceg Novi, in support of the wish expressed by victims’ families in Herceg Novi in 2010;
- For the Montenegrin police to issue an apology for the unlawful arrest and extradition of refugees to the hostile army of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We have repeated these initiatives for years. In May 2021, we reiterated the first initiative to the then-President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Aleksa Bečić, who responded that a change in the Law on State and Other Holidays would be necessary to pursue this, but he did nothing to initiate such a change.
The second initiative was repeated in September 2021 to the President of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, Stevan Katić, the President of the Municipal Assembly, Ivan Otović, the parliamentary caucuses of the local assembly, and the then Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Vesna Bratić. We received no response from any of them. Last year, together with the Bosniak Council, we again submitted the same initiative to Mayor Stevan Katić and Assembly President Ivan Otović, as well as to all municipal councilors. Since we received no response then either, we renewed the initiative on May 7 of this year to the Mayor of Herceg Novi, requesting a meeting to discuss the issue. Just before the memorial gathering, Mr. Katić, along with Assembly President Miloš Konjević and colleagues, held a meeting with victims’ families and representatives of HRA, which acted on behalf of the initiative’s proposers. Representatives of the Municipality encouraged us to relaunch the initiative for the construction of a memorial, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and with their support.
The third initiative is the only one that has been officially accepted – it was realized in 2022, when Police Administration Director Zoran Brđanin and Minister of Internal Affairs Filip Adžić attended the memorial in Herceg Novi marking the 30th anniversary of the crime. On that occasion, they publicly apologized to the victims and their families for the actions of the Montenegrin police. Additionally, in August 2023, the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, issued a public apology for this crime on behalf of the state during a meeting with Alen Bajrović, son of Osman Bajrović (a deportation victim), and representatives of HRA, CCE, and ANIMA. Just yesterday, he released a statement urging the relevant state authorities not to give up on identifying those responsible for the crime and on locating the remains of the victims.
Human Rights Action (HRA)
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
ANIMA – Center for Women and Peace Education