Civic activists Aleksandar Saša Zeković and Vojin Grubač have made an appeal to both the current and former presidents of the Montenegrin Parliament to assist in uncovering the truth regarding the fate of Jovan S. Plamenac, who served as the President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Montenegro.

In an open letter, which “Vijesti” has accessed, they also urge that Plamenac’s remains be returned to his descendants so they can finally lay him to rest honorably.

The letter was dispatched to every president of the Parliament of Montenegro since the restoration of independence to date—Ranko Krivokapić, Darko Pajović, Ivan Brajović, Aleksa Bečić, Danijela Đurović, and Andrija Mandić.

They called on these leaders to use their undeniable civic, professional, and political authority: “To ensure that the truth about Jovan S. Plamenac’s fate is revealed, and that his remains are returned to his family for a dignified burial.”

Jovan S. Plamenac, a notable Montenegrin politician, is believed to have been captured and killed by partisan units, his body possibly discarded in one of the pits in the Rijeka or Crmnica nahijas. Efforts to locate his remains through private channels have yet to succeed. Our appeal is not connected to any political beliefs or revisionist motives. It is purely a humanitarian request for retrospective justice and the need for Montenegro to treat all its citizens with dignity and respect,” the letter explains.

They further note that the descendants of Plamenac have reported that Montenegrin authorities have not responded to their inquiries about where he died, how he met his end, and the location of his remains.

Ksenija Plamenac Vidinić, his granddaughter, explicitly stated that “the family does not wish to reassess the historical role of Jovan S. Plamenac, who was a pivotal figure in the 1919 Christmas Uprising.” She emphasized that this task belongs to historians; they are simply seeking information about their ancestor’s remains and the circumstances of his murder,” as referenced in Ksenija’s statements published in “Vijesti” in August 2024.

They also include another excerpt from a previous statement, drafted by lawyers Vesna and Sonja Čejović in collaboration with Ksenija Plamenac Vidinić:

“While fallen German soldiers are honored in a cemetery guarded by our military, the family of Jovan S. Plamenac, the last Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Montenegro, has spent years petitioning Montenegrin authorities, without success, to determine where he was killed unlawfully, where his remains are, and to facilitate a dignified burial,” the family declared in last year’s appeal, carried out through their lawyers.

They asserted, “It is the sacred duty of the state of Montenegro to enable this, as well as to mark the site of his death.”…

“We believe that your individual or collective commitment to uncovering the truth could signify a pivotal change in Montenegro’s institutional and political culture,” Zeković and Grubač remarked.

“From Strasbourg, where I reside near the European Court of Human Rights, I observe the various human stories resolved by this court and ask—did my grandfather, if he was indeed at fault, not deserve a fair trial and a dignified death? Above all, do he and we, as his family who were deprived of his life and remains, not have the right to a funeral and a grave where we can honor and grieve him?” Ksenija Plamenac Vidinić expressed in a letter featured by Vijesti last year.

Leader of the Christmas Rebellion

According to the biography on the Parliament of Montenegro’s website, Jovan Plamenac was born in 1879 in Boljevići and served as President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Montenegro from 1911 to 1913. He was also a minister, organizer, and leader of the Christmas Uprising, and presided over the Montenegrin Government in exile from February 17, 1919, to June 15, 1921.

“He completed his lower secondary education in Belgrade and two classes of the Teachers’ School in Aleksinac, from where he was expelled alongside other Montenegrins due to the Ivandanj assassination in 1899. He finished teachers’ school in Pakrac in 1901 and studied at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Philosophy in Germany. Upon returning to Montenegro, he was appointed as a lecturer at the Theological and Teachers’ School in Cetinje, then served as a school supervisor in Ulcinj and Podgorica. In 1906, he was elected as a deputy in the Montenegrin National Assembly from his native Crmnica. He held the position of Minister of Education and Church Affairs (April 4, 1907 – April 2, 1909) in Lazar Tomanović’s government and later served as Minister of Internal Affairs (April 2, 1909 – January 24, 1910). He became a member of the State Council and President of the Montenegrin National Assembly in 1911. In Mitar Martinović’s government, he returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (1912/13) but resigned due to differences with the crown regarding Shkodra. A staunch opponent of both the government and the king, he was dismissed from civil service in 1914. He was the driving force behind the armed uprising (Christmas Uprising) against the decisions made by the Podgorica Assembly. At the request of King Nikola, he left Montenegro, reaching France via Italy, prior to the conflict between the proponents and opponents of unconditional unification. Appointed by King Nikola on February 17, 1919, he served as President of the Montenegrin Government in Exile until his resignation in 1921. His contemporaries described him as ambitious and power-hungry, yet recognized his personal integrity, bravery, consistency, and determination,” the Assembly’s website notes.

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