Non-governmental organizations and civic activists welcome the decision of the Municipal Assembly of Bijelo Polje to revoke the “Risto Ratković” award from convicted war criminal Radovan Karadžić.
Today’s vote in the Municipal Assembly of Bijelo Polje is significant because, after 32 years, Bijelo Polje and the “Ratković Poetry Evenings” have corrected a long-standing injustice that for too long damaged the reputation of both the city and one of Montenegro’s most important cultural manifestations.
This decision is encouraging and sends a clear message that Bijelo Polje will not allow itself to become a place where war criminals convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws and customs of war are celebrated. Because of that criminal policy, even some citizens of Bijelo Polje lost their lives. We expect that the Council of the Public Institution “Ratković Poetry Evenings” will complete the process of revoking the award as soon as possible. Bijelo Polje is a town of great writers such as Risto Ratković, Ćamil Sijarić, and Marko Vešović – who refused to accept the “Risto Ratković” award – as well as many other distinguished individuals who contributed to culture and the community and by whom the town is recognized. This decision restores dignity both to the city and to the award itself.
The conclusion adopted at tonight’s session also confirmed that the award can only be revoked by the institution that originally granted it – namely, the Council of the Public Institution “Ratković Poetry Evenings.” We pointed this out in the initiative we sent to the Council on June 26 of this year. A day later, the Bosniak Party submitted a similar initiative to the Municipal Assembly of Bijelo Polje, which we interpreted as an important show of support. Although our initiative was later forwarded to the Municipal Assembly of Bijelo Polje, we maintained our position that the Public Institution, as the legal successor of the earlier “Ratković Poetry Evenings,” is the only body that can formally and legally revoke this award — a position confirmed by today’s conclusion accepting the initiative.
We expect the Council of the Public Institution “Ratković Poetry Evenings” to demonstrate integrity and complete the procedure by revising the rulebook within the next 30 days, thus finalizing this process. We remind that the Council took the first step when, after receiving our second letter, in which we pointed out that Karadžić’s name was still on the list of laureates, it decided on 1 July to remove his name from that list. This wasthe first symbolic step toward correcting the mistake made in 1993.
To recall, Radovan Karadžić received the “Risto Ratković” award during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at a time when he was the supreme commander of the Army of the Republika Srpska, and during his stay in his native Montenegro, he was warmly received by the Montenegrin state leadership.
Revoking Karadžić’s award is not an act of erasing what was done at the time, but a clear message that Bijelo Polje remembers the crimes committed in the name of the criminal policy that Karadžić represented – and that such a policy has no place in Bijelo Polje.
It is especially important that this decision comes at a time when the glorification of war criminals and their ideology has become increasingly frequent in Montenegro, as seen this summer in Petnjica near Šavnik, where Radovan Karadžić was glorified at an event attended by the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić. Even more disgraceful is the fact that Želidrag Nikčević, a member of the jury that awarded Karadžić in 1993, is now an advisor to Andrija Mandić and a member of this year’s jury for the July 13th Award — the country’s highest state recognition, which has been particularly compromised this year.
As a town that preserved the spirit of coexistence and respect for diversity in the most difficult times, Bijelo Polje and the “Ratković Poetry Evenings” should continue to be a place that brings together different cultures and promotes literature – without bearing the burden of one man’s crimes.
Daliborka Uljarević, Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Tea Gorjanc Prelević, Human Rights Action (HRA)
Ervina Dabižinović, Centre for Women’s and Peace Education ANIMA
Demir Ličina, Association “Štrpci – Against Oblivion”
Velija Murić, Montenegrin Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights
Dina Bajramspahić, Civic Activist
Jovana Marović, Civic Activist