Interior Minister Nuhodžić: Unpermitted gatherings will be prevented and prosecuted

VIDEO: Interior Minister Nuhodžić's statement

Podgorica, Montenegro (23 March 2017) – Minister of the Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić announced earlier today on behalf of the Government of Montenegro and the Ministry of the Interior that all gatherings, other than those that have been pre-approved by the competent authorities, will be prevented and prosecuted in accordance with respective laws and police empowerments.

"The right to peaceful assembly, freedom of opinion, expression of rebellion and dissent are inalienable rights of a free man. However, just because they apply to all and always, these rights also carry adequate liability and obligations for all. Only and only in this sense we can speak of true freedom of all," the Minister of the Interior said in a statement.

He added that there is a tendency to replace these rights with a new right - that citizens can always, at any time, gather without notice and permission in inappropriate places and interfere and stop the usual activities of all the others – which is recognised neither by international nor national law.

"Blocade of roads jeopardises fundamental human rights such as freedom of movement and freedom of entrepreneurship, thus creating the obstacles preventing citizens from exercising their usual activities such as reaching their home, work place or business meetings, as well as preventing important transport and utility services departments from doing their daily job. Consequences of these activities would harm the quality of life in terms of increasing the living costs and jeopardising the right to a health care, endanger property safety and safety of individuals which can result in increased number of traffic accidents," Minister Nuhodžić emphasised.

Minister Nuhodžić said that the current developments related to protests are showing that these activities are not expressing a social rebellion due to reduced social benefits granted to women with three or more children, but an open political manipulation orchestrated by a political party Demokratski Front with an aim to destabilise the overall situation in the country.

Only registered and approved gatherings which are not jeopardising freedom of others are allowed and legitimate, Minister Nuhodžić explained, adding that all other gatherings are unpermitted and will be subject to prevention and prosecution.

"We are ready to preserve security, peace and public order and we are entitled to protect rights and freedoms of all of us," Minister Nuhodžić pointed out.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO