Tomorrow marks 25 years since the NATO bombing of the bridge in the town of Murino in northern Montenegro. On that occasion, six civilians lost their lives, including three children. The victims were Miroslav Knežević (14), Olivera Maksimović (13), Julija Brudar (11), Vukić Vuletić (46), Milka Kočanović (69), and Manojlo Komatina (72). Four people were seriously injured.
The Human Rights Action appeals to the Government of Montenegro to approach an out-of-court settlement with the victims’ families and to grant them the status of civilian war victims.
On April 30, 1999, a store, the Cultural Center, and other civilian objects were also damaged. There were no sirens or other warnings of danger, which is a fact established by a court decision that became final.
The affected families sued the state for compensation because no one warned them of the danger of the bombing, even though NATO had notified the authorities in advance of all the targets they would hit.
However, the Supreme Court of Montenegro prevented compensation for the alleged statute of limitations on claims, as no criminal proceedings were ever conducted against those who were obliged to warn citizens of the danger. Deciding on the review of the Komatina family case, the Supreme Court took a restrictive stance that civil courts should not determine whether the damage resulted from a criminal act or not, to apply a longer statute of limitations. It was established that the Komatina family was not entitled to compensation that had already been paid to them, while other claims were immediately dismissed as time-barred.
Although the Supreme Court held that the victims were late in suing for their right to compensation, this does not mean they do not have that right but have only lost the opportunity to achieve it through the courts. Therefore, it is up to the Government of Montenegro to fulfill its natural and moral obligation and finally compensate the victims’ families.
At the Second Regular Session of the Assembly of Montenegro last year, on December 29, the Government, specifically the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare under the management of Minister Naida Nišić, was tasked with drafting a proposal for amendments to the Law on Veteran and Disability Protection by March 1, 2024, at the latest. This would address the status and compensation of the families of Montenegrin citizens who died during the 1999 bombing and the status of those injured, as well as the status of families of victims of wars after 1990 who are Montenegrin citizens.
However, the Ministry has been two months late in finalizing this solution, which is why HRA today requested Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to expedite the completion of this process and inform the public when the proposed amendments can be expected.
Representatives of HRA will attend the memorial gathering in Murino tomorrow, organized by the NGO “We Will Never Forget You,” the victims’ families, the local community of Murino, the Budimlja-Nikšić Diocese, and the Serbian National Council.
