Strasbourg Court Fines Montenegrin Police for Mishandling 2015 Protests

Montenegrin riot police take position during clashes with protesters in the capital, Podgorica. Photo:EPA/BORIS PEJOVIC

The Strasbourg court said the police had violated the European Convention of Human Rights, Article 3, which prohibits inhumane or degrading treatment.

"The applicants were ill-treated on the night of the protests. Their allegations were confirmed by video footage and their ill-treatment established by [Montenegro's] Council for Civic Control of the Police, the Ombudsman, the Constitutional Court and the civil courts, and acknowledged by the government. They were credible and as such required an effective official investigation," the court said.

"The investigation in the case, conducted both by the prosecutor and the police, was not prompt, thorough, independent, and did not afford sufficient public scrutiny. It had deficiencies, as indicated above, which undermined its ability to identify the persons responsible," it added.

On October 24, 2015, Montenegrin riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse anti-government demonstrators in the capital Podgorica, after protesters tried to enter the parliament. During the clashes, the SAJ deployed armoured vehicles and used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters.

That night, the news portal Vijesti published video footage of the police intervention in a street in which members of the SAJ were verbally insulted, and kicked Baranin and Vukcevic.

After the protests, the Interior Ministry said the police had acted professionally, lawfully and in a restrained manner, in spite of being directly attacked.

However, on January 23, 2017. the Basic Court in Podgorica found the SAJ commander, Radoslav Ljeskovic, sentenced him to five months in prison,...