The Democratic Party of Socialists has called for the annulment of the decision to grant the July Thirteenth Award to writer Bećir Vuković.

MP Aleksandra Vuković Kuč stated that when the DPS returns to power, it will revoke the awards of those who, as she put it, secured state honors through chauvinism and national animosity during the chaos that followed August 30, 2020.

She emphasized that the July Thirteenth Award has become intertwined with the folklore of the Montenegrin regime, which trivialized and diminished its significance by appointing Bećir Vuković as the head of the jury in 2021.

“It was a scandal and an unacceptable mockery of the partisan, national liberation movement responsible for the July 13th Uprising, which forever branded it with an anti-fascist legacy,” Vuković Kuč remarked at a press conference.

She argued that the anti-Montenegrin nature of this government is evident in the daily actions of its leaders.

“The jury for the most prestigious state award, the Thirteenth of July, has just been appointed in parliament. What a majority and what a jury. And what a jury, what a selection,” the DPS stated through Vuković Kuč.

She noted that granting the state award to Bećir Vuković—named after the most significant anti-fascist date in Europe, July 13—amounts to mocking the libertarian, civic, and European identity of Montenegro.

“The government has conveyed a message: anyone who disparages, maligns, and harbors animosity towards Montenegro and Montenegrins will be honored and decorated,” Vuković Kuč explained.

She highlighted that Bećir Vuković is an admirer of Draža Mihailović and Chetnik ideology, asserting that he aligns with fascism.

“To him, Mihailović is the ‘leader of the third Serbian uprising,’ and he believes there are no gentlemen following the Chetniks,” Vuković Kuč stated.

She remarked that similar sentiments have emerged in the ruling narrative related to Pavle Đurišić, a war criminal known for ethnic cleansing in Montenegro. This is why the recently passed European Parliament Resolution on Montenegro condemned the glorification of war criminals and the political revisionism occurring in society.

“Bestowing the award on Bećir Vuković is an institutional effort to politically and culturally redefine the narrative surrounding World War II,” Vuković Kuč asserted.

She added that Bećir Vuković is a nationalist and chauvinist who, by denying the Montenegrin nation and state, has gained favor with this government. “He is its emblem.”

“Vuković simply articulated what they genuinely think,” Vuković Kuč reflected, noting that for Vuković, the state is a “historical irony,” labeling Montenegrins as “premature offspring of the Comintern” exactly mirrors his sentiments.

According to Vuković Kuč, only in irony can the Minister of Culture extend congratulations to someone lacking significant achievements, believing that one prominent award-winning individual can mask and justify disgrace that deserves contempt from the entire social community.

“Vuković’s view of NATO as a hellscape, where savagery, sodomy, fornication, drugs, and prostitution prevail, is undoubtedly a motive for this ruling majority to honor him with the highest state accolade. European—no problem,” she stated.

She concluded by stating that due to all these reasons, they are demanding the overturning of the jury’s decision.

“We declare that when we reclaim power, we will revoke the awards of anyone who obtained state honors through chauvinism and national hatred during this chaos following August 30, 2020,” Vuković Kuč stated.

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