Bukovica is a rural area about 60km from Pljevlja. In that part of Montenegro, between 1992 and 1995, ethnic cleansing was carried out: 24 villages were displaced, and around 90 families with approximately 270 members were expelled or fled. Six civilians were killed, two people committed suicide due to the effects of torture, 11 were abducted and taken to prison in Čajniče, while nearly 70 civilians were subjected to physical torture.
"What is not in favor of resolving the Bukovica case, unfortunately, is the time factor. Postponing investigations and court proceedings greatly complicates the collection of evidence, weakens the evidentiary material and further complicates the court process," the activist pointed out. Emir Pilaf, who led the webinar. He also pointed out that due to the passage of time, which was also contributed to by the excessive delay in proceedings, many key witnesses are no longer alive, making it difficult to achieve justice for victims.
Speaking about the importance of fully shedding light on the crimes in Bukovica, Pilav emphasized that, in addition to identifying the perpetrators, it is also necessary to establish broader responsibility, including command and political responsibility. "Bukovica, like other war crimes committed on the territory of Montenegro, must not be processed in a way that leaves room for excluding, or "saving", someone."Through testimonies, records and material, of which there is a lot, all those responsible for this crime must be prosecuted," said Pilav, adding that an additional injustice is the fact that many who are linked to these crimes are still moving freely today, and some even advertise publicly on social networks, which, as he stated, represents an additional humiliation of the victims of Bukovica and their families.
In review of responsibility of institutions, Pilav assessed that it must be consistent and adequate, and that it cannot be reduced only to the question of who is to blame, but also to the question of what was omitted to be done and what must be undertaken today. He recalled that the activities of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT), which relate to the adoption of a plan of action, as well as amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code that enable the use of evidence obtained before the Hague Tribunal and the International Residual Mechanism, represent an important step, although they come with a delay. "The bottom line is that the institutions' responsibility is not just retrospective – it is also present. What they do or fail to do regarding Bukovica today will be the measure of their true commitment to justice and the rule of law.", concluded Pilav.
"Older generations are often not ready to question and acknowledge the mistakes of their generation, while young people know very little about that period, and that knowledge is often fragmented and shaped through subjective narratives. An additional problem is the fact that a large number of young people, not only in Pljevlja, are involved in political parties, where these topics are often instrumentalized in accordance with party interests," the participants emphasized during the discussion, emphasizing the generation gap in relation to the 1990s.
Also, participants expressed skepticism regarding the willingness of the ruling structures to deal with the past, explaining this by the fear of political structures of losing support, functions or influence. "Although these issues are occasionally raised, most often by the opposition, it is mainly in the context of marking anniversaries or certain political moments, which leaves room for suspicion that the topic is being used to score political points and manipulate the public, instead of honestly confronting the past.", said Pilav.
Despite all the challenges, the participants agree that we should not give up, because confronting the past is necessary not only to achieve the goals of transitional justice, but also to build a stable future.
"This webinar represents a practical upgrade to the CCE manual „War crimes of the 1990s in the verdicts of the Montenegrin judiciary", enabling a deeper analysis and discussion of the court verdicts that are available in the publication "The Process of Dealing with the Past in Montenegro: The "Bukovica" Case", they said in a statement.
The aim of the webinar series is to provide the interested public with access to verified and verified information about war crimes, through the analysis of court rulings, relevant evidence, testimonies and the role of institutions. The next webinar will be led by a historian and publicist Edin Smailović, April 6, 2026, and will be dedicated in the case of the "Klapuh Family".
The webinar series is being implemented within the CCE project „Understanding the past leads to building trust and transitional justice“, through the regional program "EU support for confidence building in the Western Balkans”, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The views expressed in this webinar are those of the authors and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of CCE, the EU or UNDP, nor can they be considered to be their official views.
Comments