Press release by Police Authority of Montenegro

Podgorica, Montenegro (27 October 2015) – Concerning the allegations in the media that, in the course of the Security and Defence Committee’s session, Chief of the Police Slavko Stojanović ”was smiling at the beating of Martinović,” the Police Authority wishes to inform the public about the following:

It is incorrect that Chief of the Police Slavko Stojanović, while Snežana Jonica MP was showing the footage of the police intervention in relation to M.M, was smiling at what he had seen. It was about a different situation, not related to that moment.

Police has already undertaken actions towards establishing all the facts related to the video recording, as well as towards establishing the facts in other individual cases referred to by, inter alia, the Council for Civil Control of the Police.

Isolated cases of police officers’ actions, which are being investigated by the competent bodies of the Police Authority, happened after the police had been attacked in front of the parliament building and at other locations in the city, and after they had managed to break up groups of protesters, who were trying to provoke incidents.

We remind you of the fact that the police acted according to the law during the public gathering on Saturday evening in front of the Parliament of Montenegro, and that they prevented the violence escalation and forced entry into the parliament, as well as more difficult consequences for lives and property of the city and citizens.

Twenty-nine police officers were injured on Saturday evening. One of them sustained serious injuries, whereas 26 citizens asked for medical assistance.