The non-governmental organisations and civic activists, signatories of the appeal of 9 September 2026, strongly condemn the fact that, at the session held on 24 September, the ruling majority avoided debate and a vote on the responsibility of Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić for glorifying the war criminal Ratko Mladić, who was convicted by a final judgment.
By doing so, the authorities showed that they do not live up to European values. Political cowardice and a destructive ideology that has justified war crimes since the 1990s were demonstrated.
The lack of a quorum was established in a non-transparent manner. The roll call was conducted without microphones; journalists, camera crews and photojournalists were not allowed to enter the plenary chamber, and there was no live broadcast. The public could neither hear the roll call nor follow what was happening in the chamber. The atmosphere at the session was humiliating for Montenegro and for the oversight function of the Parliament of Montenegro. Such non-transparency surrounding the determination of the responsibility of the Parliament Speaker further testifies to avoidance of responsibility.
Because of the lack of a quorum, Montenegro failed a moral test. MPs from PES, Democratic Montenegro, DNP, NSD and SNP, independent MPs Radinka Ćinćur, Danilo Jokić and Dragan Bojović, as well as Albanian Forum MP Nikolla Camaj, jeopardised Montenegro’s progress towards the European Union in order to protect Mandić and the glorification of a war criminal. Instead of appearing and publicly assuming responsibility for their position, they avoided publicly stating before citizens their position on respect for victims and final judgments of international courts – universal civilisational values.
Independent MP Radinka Ćinćur also contributed to this, as by not attending she helped Mandić avoid a vote on responsibility. Particularly disappointing is Nikolla Camaj, who publicly promised that he would attend the session and vote for Mandić’s dismissal.
Present in the chamber were MPs from DPS, the European Alliance, BS, URA Civic Movement and the DUA–HGI parliamentary group, PES MP Seid Hadžić, Albanian Alliance MP Ilir Çapuni, Albanian Forum MP Artan Çobi, as well as independent MPs Jevrosima Pejović, Maja Vučelić, Nikola Janović and Miodrag Laković, 38 in total, 39 including Mandić, with two votes short of a quorum.
The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić, has not, to this day, uttered a single word condemning the wrongdoing of the Parliament Speaker, while his party led the public defence of Mandić and the relativisation of his act.
There is no bright European future without an honest confrontation with the dark past. And that past is the genocide in Srebrenica, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed. It is the siege of Sarajevo, during which more than ten thousand of its citizens were killed, and the persecution of the non-Serb population. Ratko Mladić was convicted by a final judgment for those horrific mass crimes, and the Parliament Speaker admires him. A European future is not built by remaining silent about such a past, but by acknowledging it, respecting the victims and clearly distancing oneself from the criminal ideology.
We emphasise that a large majority of Montenegro’s citizens (65.3%, according to CCE research from 2025) accept that genocide was committed in Srebrenica. Citizens are evidently more prepared to confront the facts than certain parties that call themselves civic and pro-European.
PES and the Democrats in particular owe their voters an answer as to how they are building a European future while protecting the glorification of war criminals?! Such conduct is contrary to the clear message of Members of the European Parliament that there is no place for the glorification of war criminals either in the EU or in candidate countries, and that Montenegro must respect the judgments of international courts, the dignity of victims and reject any relativisation of war crimes.
Although membership in the European Union has no alternative for Montenegro, things must be called by their proper names. Messages from European officials about the continuation of cooperation represent a continuation of a policy of double standards. If there is no place for the glorification of war criminals in the EU, there must be no place for it at the head of Montenegro’s highest legislative body either, whose legitimacy was rendered completely meaningless yesterday.
Instead of integrating us as a second-class member without veto rights, as some indications suggest, the EU must continuously emphasise that European values must be respected every day.
By their conduct, the ruling majority MPs protected neither Parliament nor European values. They protected only Andrija Mandić and thereby jeopardised the path of all of us towards the European Union.
Non-governmental organisations:
- Human Rights Action (HRA), Tea Gorjanc Prelević
- Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG), Milka Tadić Mijović
- Association “Štrpci – Against Oblivion”, Demir Ličina
- Association SPEKTRA, Jovan Ulićević
- ANIMA – Centre for Women’s and Peace Education, Ervina Dabižinović
- PRIMA, Aida Perović
- Juventas, Ivana Vujović
- Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Daliborka Uljarević
- Montenegrin Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights Protection, Velija Murić
- Roma Youth Organisation “Walk with Us – Phiren Amenca”, Elvis Beriša
- Ul-Info, Mustafa Canka
- Montenegrin LGBTIQ Association Queer Montenegro, Staša Baštrica
- Civic Initiative 21 May, Rade Bojović
- First Women’s Ecological Movement in Montenegro – Ecopatriotism, Ivana Čogurić Rašović
- Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), Nevenka Vuksanović
- Safe Women’s House, Budislavka Mira Saveljić
- Antifascists of Cetinje, Filip Kuzman
- Municipal Multiple Sclerosis Association Bijelo Polje, Lidija Guberinić
- Multimedijal, Željko Đukić
- 35mm, Darko Ivanović
- Association for the Protection and Promotion of Citizens’ Rights “Pravozastupnik”, Budislav Budo Minić
- Fund for Progressive Policies, Ćazim Lisičić
- Ikre Rožaje, Velida Hodžić
- Montenegrin Women’s Lobby, Aida Petrović
- Women’s Action, Slavica Striković
- Centre for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), Zlatko Vujović
- Dr Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association, Zenepa Lika
- Korifej teatar, Zoran Rakočević
- Association of Montenegrin Publishers, Vladimir Vojinović
- Montenegro Media Institute (IMCG), Olivera Nikolić
- Ipso Facto, Milena Popović Samardžić
- Centre for Development of Non-Governmental Organisations (CRNVO), Zorana Marković
- NOVA Centre for Feminist Culture, Nataša Nelević
- Empty Space, Marija Backović
- Montenegrin PEN Centre, Boban Batrićević
- Montenegrin Philological Society, Milan Marković
Civic activists:
- Dina Bajramspahić
- Jovana Marović
- Nikoleta Đukanović
- Paula Petričević
- Emir Pilav
- Danijel Kalezić
- Almedina Dodić
- Milena Bešić
- Biljana Maslovarić
- Darko Saveljić
- Goran Đurović
- Milica Kankaraš Berber
- Sabina Talović
- Ana Milović Jasikovac
- Vesna Rajkovic Nenadić