The Justice Minister, Bojan Božović, expressed the belief that it is essential to investigate crimes that occurred in Croatia.

He made this statement during today’s parliamentary session where ministers addressed questions from lawmakers.

MP Slađana Kaluđerović, representing the Socialist People’s Party (SNP), questioned Božović on the potential revision of the 2006 agreement between the state prosecutors’ offices of Montenegro and Croatia regarding war crimes. She noted the absence of any official initiative from Montenegro on this matter and inquired about any response from the Croatian authorities.

“I would like to remind everyone that the agreement signed in 2006 shows a clear imbalance in the rights and responsibilities of both parties. The State Prosecutor’s Office of Montenegro is able to indict Montenegrin citizens accused of war crimes by Croatia, but it cannot do the same for Croatian citizens implicated in crimes against our Montenegrin community. This creates a double standard, which could be interpreted as a political surrender of Montenegro to Croatia,” she emphasized.

Kaluđerović affirmed her strong support for investigating all crimes committed in Croatia by Montenegrin citizens but insisted that Montenegro must not forsake its citizens, particularly those who perished in the “Lora” camp.

“There is one thing worse than injustice, and that is selective justice,” she remarked.

Božović replied that during a bilateral meeting with the Chief State Prosecutor of Croatia in 2024, they discussed the need to revise the Agreement on Cooperation in Prosecuting Perpetrators of War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, and Genocide, established in 2006. He mentioned that a proposal for a revised agreement had been formally submitted to the State Attorney’s Office of Croatia and that they had been notified it was under review by Croatia’s Ministry of Justice.

“We believe it is just to investigate crimes committed in Croatia… We are encouraged by several contacts with the Croatian Government that aim to resolve issues related to our bilateral relations, including concerns about war crimes,” he stated.

Kaluđerović recognized this as a positive sign and pointed out that the 2006 agreement, set when Vesna Medenica led the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office, was severely lacking.

Budva to Establish a Court and Prosecutor’s Office Promptly

Bojana Pićan, an MP from the New Serbian Democracy (NSD), asked Božović about the establishment of a Basic Court in Budva.

She noted that in 2019, Budva Municipality had expressed its willingness to provide the necessary conditions for establishing the court, yet citizens still have to travel to Kotor and Cetinje.

Božović stated that it is imperative for Budva to have a Basic Court and a Basic State Prosecutor’s Office without delay.

“We presently face challenges in forming councils in many basic courts in the north. This situation, compounded by the proximity of municipalities, has led the European Commission to urge the rationalization or optimization of Montenegro’s judicial network for the past decade, which includes reducing the number of basic courts. We have devised a plan that ensures citizens can access justice—this may involve merging smaller courts into departments of a larger one in municipalities where we cannot establish a council,” he explained.

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