The Centre for Civic Education (CCE) from Montenegro and the Association for Social Research and Communication (UDIK) from Bosnia and Herzegovina welcome the decision of the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund of Montenegro to terminate its contract with the rehabilitation centre “Vilina Vlas” in Višegrad and remove it from the rest and rehabilitation program for pension beneficiaries.
Ten days ago, UDIK and CCE submitted an initiative to the PIO Fund to terminate this contract, emphasizing that it is unacceptable for this facility to be promoted among pensioners in Montenegro for tourism and rehabilitation purposes without proper context, acknowledgment, and respect for the victims.
According to information from CCE and UDIK, the management of the PIO Fund reacted immediately and announced the termination of the contract, which had lasted for a decade, noting that, in the early years, one of the contracting parties was also the Union of Pensioners’ Associations. In its statement, the PIO Fund said that “the current management was not aware of the events that took place in 1992 at the ‘Vilina Vlas’ hotel,” and that, in accordance with the principles of social responsibility and respect for the victims, it issued a written notice terminating the contract.
CCE and UDIK consider this an important step toward accountability and respect for victims, emphasizing the importance of incorporating an ethical component into all institutional programs intended for citizens.
At the same time, UDIK and CCE call on other institutions or legal entities in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina that offer “Vilina Vlas” for similar purposes to urgently terminate such contracts.
Finally, CCE and UDIK particularly highlight the role of the media – their interest and reporting, as well as the space they provided for the initiative and opinion pieces in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, were crucial in achieving this outcome and demonstrate the power of synergy between media and civic activism in promoting democratic values.
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Association for Social Research and Communication (UDIK)