NGOs Demand Action on Controversial Street Renaming in Pljevlja

A coalition of non-governmental organizations in Montenegro has called for an immediate response from the Ministry of Culture and Media regarding the illegal renaming of streets in the municipality of Pljevlja. In a letter addressed to Minister Tamara Vujović, the organizations—including Akcija za ljudska prava (HRA), Centar za građansko obrazovanje (CGO), and Centar za žensko i mirovno obrazovanje ANIMA—expressed their support for the ministry’s efforts to remove unlawfully erected memorials.

The letter, sent on March 5, 2024, highlights concerns that local authorities in Pljevlja have named streets after former soldiers of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) and the Army of Yugoslavia, specifically Branko Krvavac, Vukoman Tešić, Đurko Bojović, and Eldin Hrapović, without the ministry’s consent. The NGOs are also demanding an examination of the legality surrounding the 2000 local government decision to name a street after Pavle Bulatović.

According to the statement, decisions that violate the law and promote ideologically driven revisionism cannot go unchallenged. The organizations emphasized that such actions risk glorifying a war-torn past, undermining democracy and the rule of law, deepening divisions within the multi-ethnic community of Pljevlja, and harming Montenegro’s international reputation.

The NGOs also expressed disagreement with the stance of the Ministry’s Commission for Memorials regarding the proposed honor for Patriarch Varnava Rošić and Lieutenant Predrag Peđa Leovac. They argue that the biographies of these individuals are controversial and incompatible with the antifascist and civic values of Montenegro. Leovac has already been commemorated with a monument in Pljevlja, and a similar tribute for Rošić is expected soon.

The Commission stated that honoring Leovac preserves not only his heroism but also pays respect to all known and unknown heroes who defended their country under challenging circumstances. It posits that his bravery serves as an example for future generations, continuing a tradition of valor from Montenegro’s past.

This perspective, however, raises several issues. The glorification of Leovac disregards the fact that other units of the Yugoslav Army committed war crimes and carried out ethnic cleansing against Albanian civilians in Kosovo, as confirmed by the International Criminal Tribunal. While his death is tragic, it is not deserving of glorification, given that he, like many of his peers, was thrust into a conflict without the ability to oppose the decisions of the government at that time.

The Commission has similarly shown a lack of understanding of the historical context surrounding Patriarch Varnava Rošić. Concerns arise from the Commission’s failure to acknowledge the ethical and historical controversies tied to Rošić, whose documented antisemitic views and praise for Hitler are troubling. The organizations reminded the ministry that the Law on Memorials explicitly prohibits erecting monuments to individuals who collaborated with occupiers or espoused fascist, chauvinistic, or Nazi ideologies, or who played a negative role in the history of Montenegro or humanity.

The NGOs assert that street naming decisions must reflect values of resistance against war and violence, equality, justice, and antifascism, rather than exacerbate existing divisions. They are urging the Ministry of Culture and Media to consistently apply the Law on Memorials across all municipalities and to promptly inform the public about actions taken.

The statement was signed by Tea Gorjanc Prelević, executive director of HRA; Ervina Dabižinović, coordinator of ANIMA; and Daliborka Uljarević, executive director of CGO.