NGOs Human Rights Action (HRA), Network for Affirmation of NGO Sector (MANS), Women’s Rights Center (WRC) and Center for women’s and peace education (ANIMA) condemn the dishonourable nature of the insults that the member of the Democratic People’s Party presidency (Demokratska narodna partija), Aleksandar Sekulić, threw at Daliborka Uljarević, director of the NGO Center for Civic Education (CCE).

As a reminder, Portal Analitika and Portal Café del Montenegro, published on 10 November 2015 the reaction of the member of the Democratic People’s Party presidency (Demokratska narodna partija), Aleksandar Sekulić, to the opinion announced by Daliborka Uljarević. Sekulić, inter alia, stated that “by using such rhetoric when talking about the Democratic Front (Demokratski front), Ms Uljarević, a proved regime’s concubine, has certainly paid off at least one instalment of Government grants that finance her quasi expertise.”

Such impermissible personal insults, uttered in response to the opinion announced by Daliborka Uljarević, are not protected by freedom of expression and do not serve any legitimate public interest in a democratic society. On the contrary, they have a discouraging and humiliating effect to those striving to make Montenegro a better place to live by uttering their opinions publically.

We note with regret that the public discourse presenting unscrupulous and unfounded accusations against the NGO sector activists that have the courage to publicly communicate their opinion still continues in Montenegro.

We invite the media to, in accordance with the Code of Journalists of Montenegro, refrain from publishing such offensive speech and contribute to the promotion of a culture of dialogue based on arguments and respect for human dignity.

Tea Gorjanc Prelević, Executive Director of HRA
Vanja Ćalović, Executive Director of MANS
Maja Raičević, Executive Director of WRC
Ljupka Kovačević, Coordinator of ANIMA