Following the recent Facebook post by Marica Bulatović, Secretary of the Special Parliamentary Group in the Parliament of Montenegro and member of United Montenegro, which directly attacks the human dignity of transgender persons and opposes the adoption of the Law on Legal Gender Recognition Based on Self-Determination, civil society organisations are joining the demands of Association Spectra for an institutional response.
We expect the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office to open a case regarding this matter, the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms to examine the allegations and act within its competences, as well as the parliamentary group whose secretary Bulatović is to submit a complaint to the Disciplinary Commission.
We remind the public and competent authorities that such rhetoric is not only ethically unacceptable, but also constitutes a violation of the Constitution of Montenegro, the Criminal Code of Montenegro, the Law on Protection of Equality and Prohibition of Discrimination, as well as the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees, all of which explicitly prohibit hate speech and the incitement of hatred and intolerance on any personal ground, including gender identity.
The use of expressions such as “deformed”, “perverse”, and “insane” contributes to the stigmatisation and dehumanisation of transgender persons, further deepens social intolerance, and fuels an atmosphere of hostility towards one of the most vulnerable social groups. Such public statements are particularly dangerous when they come from persons holding public office or serving within state institutions. If the competent authorities fail to respond to such statements, this once again raises the question of the institutions’ genuine commitment to the protection of human rights, the rule of law, and combating hate speech. Institutional reaction is particularly important in light of the recently adopted Binding Instruction of the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office for handling hate speech and hate crime cases.
In a public discourse in which Bulatović, using offensive and inflammatory rhetoric, calls for resistance to equality and human rights, we are witnessing an attempt to politically instrumentalise hate and dehumanise citizens of different identities. Particularly concerning is the attempt to portray discrimination as an alleged defence of “dignity”, even though dignity precisely implies respect for the rights and integrity of others.
Bulatović ignores the fact that transgender persons are part of Montenegrin society and that they are precisely those facing systemic discrimination, violence, and institutional barriers. Transgender persons in Montenegro are still subjected to forced sterilisation to obtain documents aligned with their gender identity, which constitutes a serious violation of human rights. Research conducted by Association Spectra showed that 100% of surveyed transgender persons experienced some form of discrimination or violence over the past five years, while most of them view the adoption of the Law on Legal Gender Recognition Based on Self-Determination as a basic prerequisite for a dignified life and more effective protection from violence.
We also recall that the draft law received the support of 48 civil society organisations and activists from Montenegro, as well as four major international organisations with more than 900 member organisations (TGEU, ILGA Europe, ERA, and IGLYO). Support was also expressed through an open letter signed by 137 regional NGOs and activists, as well as through another open letter signed by more than 100 individuals from the academic community. Additionally, 15 members of the European Parliament called for the adoption of this law as a priority within Montenegro’s European integration process. In December 2024, four parliamentary political parties officially supported the law during our panel discussion (DPS, SD, PES, and URA). Furthermore, the Youth Parliament session held in the Parliament of Montenegro identified the adoption of the Law on Legal Gender Recognition Based on Self-Determination by the end of the year as one of the key demands directed at the Government by young people.
The Law on Legal Gender Recognition Based on Self-Determination is not a matter of goodwill or ideological conviction, but rather an obligation of the state to act in accordance with the Constitution, international human rights standards, and the European legal framework, which has seen significant progress in recent years precisely through the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning legal gender recognition without degrading and discriminatory conditions. The law has also been recognised as part of Montenegro’s European integration agenda through the EU Accession Programme 2026–2027, which foresees its adoption in the second quarter of 2026.
We therefore believe that this law will be adopted not despite reason, but precisely as a confirmation of the democratic and civilisational values on which Montenegrin society should rest.
- Queer Montenegro
- NGO Prima
- Centre for Affirmation of the RE Population (CAREP)
- Association of LBTQ Women STANA
- Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM)
- ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Association for the Western Balkans and Turkey
- Montenegrin Women’s Lobby
- NGO Active Zone
- ANIMA – Centre for Women’s and Peace Education
- Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
- Women’s Rights Center
- NGO Link
- Safe Women’s House
- NGO Juventas
- CEMI – Centre for Monitoring and Research
- Human Rights Action (HRA)
- SOS Nikšić
- Centre for Roma Initiatives