RESPONSE: Government members EVERY year pay homage to victims and mark Memorial Day on victims of wars in former SFRY

Podgorica, Montenegro (11 July 2017) -- An untrue, tendentious and malicious allegation was made today, 11 July 2017, in the main news programme of the TV Vijesti that representatives of the Government of Montenegro allegedly paid homage “for the first time” today to the victims of wars in the former Yugoslavia.

The editor and the host of the show stated: “For the first time, the Government sent its representatives to mark the Memorial Day on victims of wars in the former SFRY, Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin and Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Kemal Purišić. At this event, traditionally organised by the Bosniak Forum, representatives of some opposition parties came, as in the previous years.”

The extent to which the claimed assertion is meaningless and malicious is confirmed by the following facts:

1.The Monument at Pobrežje was built on the initiative of the Government of Montenegro in a procedure that was public and transparent.

2.The Monument was opened on 11 July 2011 by the Prime Minister himself. (http://www.gov.me/vijesti/107350/Otvoren-Spomen-park-posvecen-svim-civilnim-zrtvama-ratova-vodenih-na-prostorima-bivse-Jugoslavije-u-periodu-od-1991-2001-godine.html)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

3.The following year, following the extreme request of the Speaker of the Parliament, the wreath was laid ONLY by Parliament’s delegation, and in the coming years, the Government members laid a wreath EVERY 11 June and paid their homage to the victims, about which the public was regularly informed.

In 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Duško Marković and Minister Sanja Vlahović paid their homage to the victims (http://www.gov.me/vijesti/129578/Obiljezen-Dan-sjecanja-na-civilne-zrtve-ratova-vodenih-na-prostoru-bivse-Jugoslavije.html)

In 2014, Minister Suad Numanović paid homage to the victims (http://www.gov.me/naslovna/vijesti-iz-ministarstava/140497/Dan-sjecanja-na-civilne-zrtve-ratova-vodenih-na-prostoru-bivse-Jugoslavije.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2015, ministers Zorica Kovačević and Suad Numanović paid homage to the victims (http://www.gov.me/naslovna/vijesti-iz-ministarstava/150888/Obiljezena-dvadesetogodisnjica-zlocina-u-Srebrenici-u-Spomen-parku-Pobrezje.html)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2016, Deputy Prime Minister Azra Jasavić and Minister Suad Numanović paid homage to the victims (http://www.gov.me/naslovna/vijesti-iz-ministarstava/163076/Dan-sjecanja-na-civilne-zrtve-ratova-vodenih-na-prostorima-bivse-SFRJ-u-periodu-1991-2001-godine.html)

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO