Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights will lead all initiatives that will make Montenegro a country of tolerance and the rule of law

The Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights will lead all initiatives that will make Montenegro a country of tolerance and the rule of law, while making this year, the year of justice, said Minister Vladimir Leposavić within the Government's video campaign "Potpisujem" (I sign) on the first 100 days of work.

He said that the mission of the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights is an efficient, independent and objective system of judiciary and prosecutor's office, before which all citizens will feel safe and equal, as well as raising the level of respect for human and minority rights to the highest possible level.

"In the past hundred days, we have worked hard on the affirmation of free justice and the protection of human rights, because their protection and promotion depend directly on the legal and conscientious work of the courts," Leposavić said.

By adopting amendments to the Law on Freedom of Religion, he said, a new era has begun, in which religious rights and freedoms will be fully protected.

Leposavić said that the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights is fully committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination.

"Human rights must not be a special, separate branch of law, but an integral part and reason for the existence of the entire legal system. For the first time, a special Directorate for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities was established. It was agreed to cooperate with the representatives of the organizations of the LGBTIQ community in Montenegro in order to improve the normative framework for the protection and application of anti-discrimination regulations," said Leposavić.

He assessed that religious and cultural diversity represent the wealth of Montenegro.

"We are all, especially the Government, determined to preserve and celebrate this diversity until the end, and not to manipulate it and neglect it. The Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights wants all national minorities to be declared constituent cultures, because that's what they are," Leposavić pointed out.

He said that Montenegro's commitment is to protect national councils and minority communities from any politicization and political interference, and they must act freely.

"The State will not interfere in the work and life of national councils, but will only create a legal infrastructure and monitor respect for the law and the Constitution," Leposavić said.

He added that, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, a Code of Ethics for the highest-ranking executive positions has been prepared for adoption, which has not existed so far.

"Finally, our Ministry is negotiating to sign several important regional and multilateral agreements on behalf of the state, which will enable a more efficient fight against crime and corruption and raise Montenegro's reputation in that area. We are working on the reform of prosecutorial laws - we have prepared legal amendments and conducted negotiations with the Venice Commission so that the legal changes would be in line with the requirements of the rule of law. This is the creation of conditions to finally achieve progress in Chapters 23 and 24. In accordance with that, we have appointed new representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights in the Negotiating Team of Montenegro, as well as a new member of the Prosecutorial Council," Leposavić said.

In the next period, we will work on strengthening the judiciary and its true independence.

"The formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is underway, whose work will mark the beginning of a new era of reconciliation in Montenegro," Leposavić said.

As he said, the Ministry will give full support to resolving the issue of stateless citizens and lead all initiatives that will make Montenegro a country of tolerance and the rule of law, while making this year, the year of justice in Montenegro.