Institutional commitment and scientifically grounded facts are essential for a responsible approach to the past and for preventing denial and revisionism. This was one of the key messages of the first module of the sixth School of Transitional Justice, held from 1 to 4 October 2026 in Budva and organised by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE). The School is part of the project “Understanding the Past to Build Trust and Transitional Justice”, supported through the regional programme “EU Support to Confidence Building in the Western Balkans”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
During the four-day programme, 19 participants deepened their knowledge of the culture of remembrance, war crimes and their prosecution, memorialisation, media reporting during the 1990s, and other aspects of dealing with the past through lectures, discussions, film screenings and visits to sites of suffering. Lectures and sessions were led by historian Igor Radulović; Dr Adnan Prekić, Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Montenegro; Bojana Malović, Legal Adviser at Human Rights Action (HRA); Lidija Vukčević, State Prosecutor at the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office; historian and Head of the King Nikola Museum in Cetinje Vukan Ražnatović; journalist Darko Šuković; Zvezdana Kovač, Director of Strategy and Communications at CCE; historian and Head of the Historical Museum of Montenegro Filip Kuzman; historian Miloš Vukanović of the Association of History Teachers HIPMONT; Ervina Dabižinović, Coordinator of ANIMA; and director Srđan Šarenac.
“The problem is that war crimes have never been a genuine priority for the Montenegrin judiciary. Earlier proceedings were marked by a lack of political will and serious legal shortcomings, also evident in judgments based on the incorrect application of the law,” Bojana Malović said. She believes there is now greater willingness to address these cases more seriously, but the system still lacks sufficient specialised staff who could work on these cases continuously, without being burdened with other responsibilities. “Without a clear decision that war crimes must finally become a priority, any progress will remain limited and slow,” Malović said.
“The absence of memorials that should mark sites of suffering, particularly those from our recent history, points to a lack of social consensus on events from three decades ago. It confirms that, as a society, we focus more on commemorating events that are centuries removed from us, even though these raise no less delicate questions in the present,” Vukan Ražnatović said. He stressed that it was necessary to erect monuments to the Battle of Tuđemil, Ivan Crnojević, King Nikola, the Christmas Uprising and the National Liberation Struggle, but that there is also an obligation to mark sites of suffering from the 1990s. “This should not be done through one-sided interpretations by one side or another, but through social consensus grounded in scientifically substantiated facts and supported by the state,” he said.
“Knowledge of the work and legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia is fundamental to studying the sensitive history of the 1990s, as well as to understanding the local and international context, international law and war-crimes trials in the former Yugoslavia,” Miloš Vukanović emphasised. He also noted that the complexity of its legacy does not diminish the importance of this United Nations institution, nor the fact that its vast archive of judgments, evidence, testimonies, documents, photographs and other material represents an important bulwark against denial and revisionism. “As time passes, material from this archive is becoming the foundation for studying the region’s past during the final decade of the twentieth century, as well as a key educational resource,” Vukanović stressed.
Participants also spoke about the importance of the School.
“Topics like these encourage young people to reassess their views and knowledge, and to ask themselves whether their positions are based on facts and arguments or on ideological patterns that have shaped the political culture of their environment. This School places reconciliation, young people, art and numerous issues that shape the regional landscape on a daily basis at its centre,” said Iris Matović, a student at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Montenegro.
“I applied for the School of Transitional Justice because I believe that now is the right time to learn about the consequences of the 1990s. With the help of the lecturers, extensive materials and CCE’s coordination, I was able to gain knowledge about this difficult and unjust period in the region’s history that formal education could not provide. I want to use this knowledge to educate my peers and continue deepening my understanding,” said Jakša Roganović, a student at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Montenegro.
“I want to better understand the wars, the victims and the consequences of the events of the 1990s, but also to hear different opinions and the experiences of other young people and experts. I believe it is very important for young people to have a space for open and safe discussion about these topics, because only through dialogue, understanding and dealing with the past can we build a society in which similar mistakes will not be repeated,” said Muzafera Kujević, a fourth-year student at the Mehmed Fatih Madrasa in Rožaje.
The first module of the School combined theoretical, interactive and field-based work, and concluded with a study visit to the Herceg Novi Security Centre, as part of the examination of the “Deportation” case, and to the former camp in Morinj. In this way, participants had an opportunity to connect the knowledge they had acquired with concrete sites of suffering and questions of memorialisation.
The second module will be organised next week, continuing the study visit to sites of crimes, suffering and remembrance from the 1990s in northern Montenegro. This will complete the programme dedicated to understanding the past as a foundation for building trust and developing a more responsible approach to the legacy of the wars.
The views expressed during the Transitional Justice School are the sole responsibility of the lecturers and participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of CCE, the EU or UNDP.
Jovana Radulović, Programme Assistant