Montenegro: Authorities must stop harassment and intimidation of the Montenegrin PEN Centre

10 December: The Montenegrin authorities must stop harassing the Montenegrin PEN Centre and urgently uphold freedom of expression, PEN International and the Montenegrin PEN Centre said today, in the wake of sustained verbal attacks and treats against writers, journalists and civil society activists in Montenegro.

On 19 August 2022, Montenegro’s Prime Minister, Dritan Abazović, publicly attacked the Montenegrin PEN Centre in Parliament, accusing it of spreading ‘extremism and nationalism’. Abazović notably showed a picture of the award-winning Montenegrin writer and member of the Montenegrin PEN Centre, Milorad Popović, labelling him an agent of nationalist politics who ‘serves the interests of crime.’ This was not the first time Abazović has publicly targeted members of the Montenegrin PEN Centre, having repeatedly smeared prominent Montenegrin writer and member of the Montenegrin PEN Centre, Andrej Nikolaidis. Both Popović and Nikolaidis are vocal opponents of Russian and Serbian attempts to interfere in Montenegrin internal affairs. Alongside the Montenegrin PEN Centre, the writers were amongst the first in Montenegro to condemn the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine and openly support the people of Ukraine.

Parliamentary elections held in August 2020 saw a pro-Russian and pro-Serbian-led alliance rise to power in Montenegro, resulting in increased nationalism and deeper divisions within Montenegrin society. In the past two years, the Montenegrin PEN Centre has documented numerous threats by the Montenegrin authorities to shut down independent media, as well as harassment and smear campaigns against independent writers and journalists. Such campaigns by representatives of public authorities have a chilling effect and represent a risk to the physical security of the victims, who may turn to self-censorship.

‘PEN International strongly condemns the Montenegrin authorities’ continued harassment of the Montenegrin PEN Centre and its members. Verbal attacks on writers, journalists, and civil society activists – which have plagued Montenegro for the past two years – must end at once. Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of a democratic society. When the space for it is curtailed, abuses of other human rights follow. The Montenegrin authorities must abide by their national and international obligations and urgently uphold free expression. Writers, journalists, and activists should be able to work without fear of intimidation or threat of violence. We stand in solidarity with our friends at the Montenegrin PEN Centre. We will continue to support them in their quest to uphold and protect fundamental rights and break down prejudices in Montenegro and beyond, in line with the PEN mission and Charter’, said Germán Rojas, Chair of PEN International’s Writers for Peace Committee.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PEN International has long supported PEN Centres in the Balkans. The Balkans network, established at the 77th PEN International Congress in 2011, brings together PEN Centres in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey – and aims to encourage and facilitate collaborative work and exchange across a region with much shared history and culture.

PEN International is deeply concerned by the worsening situation in the Western Balkans, where independent journalists as well as human rights defenders, particularly women, have faced increasing pressure, intimidation, and threats by both state and non-state actors who aim to silence their work and critical reporting. The stigmatization by political leaders of independent voices and the failure to prevent and sanction such acts, fuel a climate of anxiety, fear, and insecurity. The situation was notably discussed at length at the 88th PEN International Congress in Uppsala, Sweden, between 27 September and 1 October 2022. Scores of PEN Centres reiterated their support for colleagues in the Balkans, including the Montenegrin PEN Centre.

For more information about the Montenegrin PEN Centre, please click here.

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo at PEN International, Koops Mill, 162-164 Abbey Street, London, SE1 2AN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7405 0338 Fax +44 (0) 20 7405 0339 e-mail: Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org