Centre for Civic Education (CCE) assesses that the death of Ratko Mladić has once again exposed the depth of the problem of dealing with the past in Montenegro. This concerns not only comments posted by anonymous individuals on social media, with media outlets that allow such comments to be published also bearing responsibility, but also messages coming from people who hold senior state, political and public positions.
Among those who bid farewell to Mladić, expressed respect for him or glorified him were Speaker of the Parliament Andrija Mandić, leader of the Democratic People’s Party (DNP) and MP Milan Knežević, State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport Marko Milačić, Mayor of Pljevlja Dario Vraneš, official of the New Serb Democracy (NSD) and President of the Supervisory Board of the Pljevlja Coal Mine Vojo Grbović, official of Democratic Montenegro and Vice-President of its youth wing Danijel Rmuš, President of United Montenegro and Director of the Agency for Control and Quality Assurance of Higher Education Goran Danilović, member of the Board of Directors of the Budva-based Academy of Knowledge Aleksandar Franeta, President of Free Montenegro Vladislav Dajković, until recently Director of the Health Insurance Fund of Montenegro Vuk Kadić, former Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and professor at the University of Montenegro Vesna Bratić, as well as other party and public officials. Particularly disturbing are messages portraying Mladić as a symbol of heroism, honour and national pride.
Ratko Mladić is not a historical figure whose role remains the subject of academic debate. He was convicted by a final judgment of genocide in Srebrenica, crimes against humanity and war crimes. When holders of public office ignore or relativise these facts, or portray a convicted war criminal as a hero, they are not merely expressing their attitude towards Mladić – they are also revealing the system of values they offer to Montenegro.
It is particularly concerning that some of these individuals exercise power, manage institutions and public resources, or belong to parties of the parliamentary majority, while Montenegro simultaneously presents itself as a country on the doorstep of the European Union. A European Montenegro cannot be built alongside the glorification of those convicted of genocide and war crimes. Europeanisation is not merely about the technical closing of negotiating chapters, but also about making a clear choice regarding the values on which the state is founded.
The reactions to Mladić’s death therefore serve as a mirror of Montenegro, demonstrating how far revisionism, the relativisation of war crimes and a culture of glorifying convicted war criminals have moved from the political margins into institutions and structures of power. What was once confined to the fringes of the political landscape is now being voiced by holders of state and public office.
The competent authorities should assess each individual post in light of the provisions of the Criminal Code concerning the public condoning, denial or gross trivialisation of genocide and war crimes. However, responsibility does not end with the question of criminal liability. There is also political, institutional and ethical responsibility on the part of those who represent citizens and the state, and that responsibility increases with the seniority of the office they hold.
The death of Ratko Mladić did not reopen the question of who he was, as that has already been established by final judgments of international courts. It has opened a far more uncomfortable question for Montenegro: to what extent is the system of values he symbolises still alive today among those who wield political and institutional power in this country?
Montenegro has an obligation to the victims to remember, to future generations to speak the truth, and to itself not to allow war crimes established by final court judgments to be relativised for the sake of day-to-day politics and nationalist mobilisation. This is the minimum level of responsibility expected from a state that defines itself as democratic, governed by the rule of law and European.
Therefore, CCE calls on all political actors, and particularly holders of the highest state and public offices, to cease relativising war crimes and glorifying individuals convicted of war crimes by final judgments. There can be no justification for turning into heroes those whose acts courts have unequivocally established as genocide and war crimes, nor for pushing victims out of public memory.
Maja Marinović, Programme Associate