Instead of Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, leader of the Europe Now Movement (PES) — the party most responsible for our country’s EU accession — or some other representative of that party finally coming out yesterday to condemn the condolence telegram that Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić sent over the death of war criminal Ratko Mladić, that still has not happened.

What we got instead was a political performance casting PES MP Jelena Nedović as a victim of an attack from the civil sector.

Rather than apologizing or distancing itself from what Nedović said on the record — that PES will not support removing Speaker of Parliament Andrija Mandić, who expressed condolences for the death of a man responsible for the Srebrenica genocide, because the party supports the rulings of the international courts in The Hague, but also respects the victims in Bratunac — we were instead accused of inventing the claim that such formulation relativizes and justifies the Srebrenica genocide.

We leave it to the public to judge for themselves, with the help of expert literature — for instance, Dr. Dragan Popović’s book “Losing Humanity: Srebrenica as a Historical Fact”, freely available online, which lays out the typical narratives used to deny that genocide, including this one.

There is no question that all civilian victims, in Bratunac and elsewhere, deserve reverence, truth, and accountability. But a crime like the Srebrenica genocide, and the glorification of those convicted for it, cannot be relativized by any “but” — which is exactly what Nedović did.

We again call on Milojko Spajić, as head of PES and Prime Minister, to clearly condemn the sending of that telegram over the death of war criminal Ratko Mladić.

We call for Andrija Mandić, who sent the telegram, to be removed — and for a telegram of support to be sent to the mothers of Srebrenica instead.

We call on the Government to withhold support from any public official who glorifies a war criminal, and to instead voice support for that criminal’s victims and their families.

Those are the European values — nothing less.

The aggressive campaign that PES officials and pro-government social media accounts have launched against civil society representatives only shows how uncomfortable it is to defend the defenders of war criminals — and that the aim is to shift the conversation to other war crimes that no one disputes.

Non-governmental organisations:

1. Human Rights Action (HRA), Tea Gorjanc Prelević
2. Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Daliborka Uljarević
3. Centre for Women’s and Peace Education ANIMA, Ervina Dabižinović
4. Juventas, Ivana Vujović
5. Association “Štrpci – Against Oblivion”, Demir Ličina
6. SPEKTRA Association, Jovan Ulićević
7. Women’s Rights Centre (WRC), Maja Raičević
8. PRIMA, Aida Perović
9. Centre for the Development of NGOs (CRNVO), Zorana Marković
10. Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN CG), MIlka Tadić Mijović
11. Dr Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association, Zenepa Lika
12. LBTQ Women’s Association “Stana”, Ana Dedivanović
13. Women’s Action, Slavica Striković
14. Montenegrin Committee of Lawyers for the Protection of Human Rights, Velija Murić
15. Antifascists of Cetinje, Filip Kuzman
16. Women’s Safe House, Budislavka Mira Saveljić
17. 
Civic Initiative 21 May, Rade Bojović
18. First Women’s Environmental Movement in Montenegro – Ecopatriotism, Ivana Čogurić Rašović
19. Bihor Culture Centre, Mirsad Rastoder
20. Ikre Rožaje, Velida Hodžić
21. Centre for Roma Initiatives, Fana Delija
22. Centre for Democratic Transition (CDT), Milica Kovačević
23. 35mm, Darko Ivanović
24. Ipso Facto, Milena Popović Samardžić
25. Centre for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), Zlatko Vujović
26. Montenegrin PEN Centre, Boban Batrićević
27. Montenegrin Philological Society, Milan Marković
28. Media Institute of Montenegro, Olivera Nikolić
29. Montenegrin LGBTIQ Association Queer Montenegro, Staša Baštrica
30. Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), Nevenka Vuksanović
31. Green Home, Azra Vuković
32. Association for the Protection and Promotion of Citizens’ Rights “Pravozastupnik”, Budislav Budo Minić
33. Municipal Multiple Sclerosis Association of Bijelo Polje, Lidija Guberinić
34. Roma Youth Organisation “Walk with Us – Phiren Amenca”, Elvis Beriša
35. Bosniak Forum of Montenegro
36. Bonum – Pljevlja, Milan Medenica i Ruždija Strujić
37. Ul-Info, Mustafa Canka
38. Multimedijal, Željko Đukić
39. Fund for Progressive Policies, Ćazim Lisičić
40. Husein Paša, Denijal Geljić
41. Expeditio, Tatjana Rajić
42. Regional Cooperation Initiative of Montenegro (Igman Initiative)
43. Montenegrin Society of Independent Writers, Dragana Tripković
44. Alternative Theatre Active Company (ATAK), Vasko Raičević
45. Association of Lawyers of Montenegro
46. STEGA – Strategy for a European and Civic Montenegro
47. Montenegrin Women’s Lobby, Aida Petrović
48. Active zone, Miloš Marković
49. Local Democracy Agency Nikšić, Kerim Međedović
50. Mogul, Džemal Perović
51. Changes Rožaje, Denis Murić

Civic activists:

1. Jovana Marović
2. Dina Bajramspahić
3. Paula Petričević
4. Milena Bešić
5. Aleksandar Dragićević
6. Darko Saveljić
7. Emir Pilav
8. Nikoleta Đukanović
9. Milica Kankaraš Berber
10. Sabina Talović
11. Goran Đurović
12. Almedina Dodić
13. Danijel Kalezić
14. Biljana Maslovarić
15. Mato Kankaraš
16. Veselin Radulović
17. Mladen Ivanović
18. Milo Perović
19. Vuk Iković
20. Aleksandar Saša Zeković