Photograph: Stevo Vasiljević/Reuters
Originally appeared at Politika.rs, translated by Nenad Jovanović exclusively for SouthFront
Podgorica – Podgorica, after the riots in front of the Parliament of Montenegro, in which about 150 people were injured, and fifteen police officers, is seemingly calm, while the temperature rises in the opposition political parties and the institutions of the system. Among those arrested is the leader of the New Serbian Democracy, Andrija Mandic and vice president of the Nova Slaven Radunovic .
“Democratic Front (DF) will continue to fight for a change of government. We are preparing a new and different kind of resistance. Every game has a second-half “ as it was told to our correspondent at the headquarters of the DF.
The organizers report that the police used excessive force, shock grenades, tear gas, batons and other forms of force against unarmed protesters, who were not trying to forcibly enter the parliament, as police is claiming, but only a group of deputies that demanded that they enter on the main entrance into the Parliament building, which was rejected by the President of the Parliament institution Ranko Krivokapic .
Main State prosecutor’s office, according to their legal authority, issued an order to the Police Administration, against MPs (DF) Andrija Mandic and (Nova) Slaven Radunović, to file criminal charges and bring them to the state prosecutor for questioning and further action.
” Supreme State Prosecutor (SSP) in Podgorica, after reviewing police reports on the actions and viewed available video materials, it is found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the deputies A. M. and S. R. committed the crime of incitement to violent change of constitutional order, by the fact that they encouraged protesters to take actions of forced entry into the Parliament of Montenegro “, announced the SSP.
DF asked yesterday for the release of the representatives of that alliance Mandic and Radunovic , who were arrested after the protest. Democratic Front issued statement that it is ending every political dialogue with the Democratic Party of Socialists and the Social Democratic Party.
Officials MPs from DF rejected the allegations of the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and said that they “just wanted peacefully to enter parliament.”
“If Mandic and Radunovic violated the constitutional order , then police should arrest all of their MPs ,” we are told in the DF- ” Responsible for the riots outside parliament, and the attack on the police, was a group that came from the direction of the old government building (Ruling DPS Party HQ) to protest. How is it possible that none of the hooligans was arrested?”
At a press conference official from DF Nebojsa Medojevic said that when it comes to criminal charges, the Supreme State Prosecutor is serious playing game with peace and stability. He said that if Mandic and Radunovic are not released until 19 hours, they will all go to the Supreme Public Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic to seek an answer to why they were arrested.
Due to the events in front of the Parliament Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro Ranko Krivokapic has scheduled a session of the Bureau and said that it must be discussed in parliament. “They must come in the Assembly and talk. The protests are a democratic means, but it cannot be permanent mean, it must be discussed, no other way,“ he said.
At the Collegium are invited leaders of the DF – New Serbian Democracy, Andrija Mandic, the Movement for Changes Nebojsa Medojevic, as well as the Democratic People’s Party Milan Knezevic, Demos Miodrag Lekic, the Socialist People’s Party Srdjan Milic , Positive Montenegro Darko Pajović and the Liberal Party, Andrija Popovic.
“Invitation for the meeting of the parliamentary collegium, of the alleged dialogue between MPs, from the already seen political profile, and disabilities of democratic thinking and decisions, is entirely misplaced because such a meeting in the Assembly, a few hours after a heavy and painful scene last night in front of this Assembly, is has actually a cynical dimension “, stated the President of Demos Miodrag Lekic, to the President of the Assembly, thanking him for the invitation.
He adds that it is clear to everyone that , ” in addition to the deep political and economic crisis, public uncontrolled peak power, extensions of political corruption, including in terms of arrests of criminal groups, with a membership card of the ruling party – the country has experienced an institutional breakdown .”
Lekic asked the President of the Assembly that, in according to appropriately dramatic moment of the country, “instead of fruitless meetings of the Collegium”, to be included in the technical dialogue between the government, the opposition and representatives of the EU.
“For this democratic way of getting out of the deep and for all risky crisis, to had a chance to succeed, the citizens of Montenegro expect useful and benevolent role of international factors,” Lekic stated.
“With respect to the foreign positions, including interests, we expect from the higher international levels to not be tricked by a play on dominant card of the local authorities, that are using vast propaganda, now in the baroque stage, about the importance of invitation to join NATO, trying to deepen divisions within the country, and to hide the absence of reforms, and absence of constitution of legal and democratic state.”
Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said that during the DF protest “all of Montenegro and the international community witnessed the unlawful attempt of intrusion into institutions, attacks on the forces of order, disturbing the peace and endangering the lives and property and life’s of people.”
“They showed the justified suspicion that the goal of the organizers were not the peaceful demonstrations with democratic political demands, it was a manifestation of the intention of taking power from the street,” said Markovic. “Montenegro, last night showed the democratic capacity and strength to maintain stability and remain on the course of foreign policy, that is, membership in NATO and the European Union”.
Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro is concerned about the clashes between police and demonstrators during a protest in Podgorica.
“We expect from the authorities to effectively investigate all incidents in accordance with the principles of the rule of law. While demonstrations are legitimate and legal way to express political and other opinions, they should be calm and in accordance with the law.“ statement of the EU said.
Police used tear gas and stun grenades, two nights ago, just after 22 hours to disperse demonstrators gathered in DF protest in front of the Parliament of Montenegro, after MPs asked to enter into the Parliament, and to have conversation with the president of the Parliament Ranko Krivokapic.
The people were scattered around nearby streets, and police have literally started to “hunt” for “suspects” at its own assessment, and start beating and arresting randomly. As the most obvious example is slapping, and hitting with baton, editor of the portal IN4S Gojko Raicevic, as well as deliberately throwing tear gas at a group of journalists.
Cameraman of the Serbian television was also beaten despite PRESS labeled vest, which he had on. Even worse, one of them was the president of the Montenegrin professional boxing organizations Mijo Martinovic, who was savagely beaten, (who stopped his car, and, broke his hip, arm, and knee).
Hi was stopped at the Red Cross building, by no less than 20 police officers, of the special unit. They pulled him out of the car and brutally beat him with batons. Martinovic was in the car with two friends and said that he did not participate in the DF protests. The doctors concluded that his has broken knee, hip and arm, and he underwent surgery yesterday at the Clinical Center.
Minister of Internal Affairs of Montenegro Rasko Konjevic, and Police Director Slavko Stojanovic, publicly boasted that the police reacted with restraint, without the use of force, other than tear gas and stun grenades.
