Montenegrin director and columnist Danilo Marunović, who was expelled from Serbia after being detained and questioned by members of the Security Information Agency in Belgrade on Friday, stated that he received a one-year ban from entering Serbia and that this decision was handed to him at the border with North Macedonia.
In a Facebook post just before midnight, he stated that he had left Serbia after nearly 12 hours of questioning and formal procedures.
“At the border with Macedonia, I was handed a Decision on immediate expulsion from the country and a one-year ban on entering Serbia. Allegedly, the reason is my column from yesterday,” Marunović wrote. On Thursday, June 26, Danilo Marunović’s column titled “Against Vučić with Vidovdan” was published on the Analitika portal.
Marunović and members of the Montenegrin National Theatre were in Belgrade for a scheduled performance of the play “Gospoda Glembajevi” (The Glembays) at the National Theatre.
On Friday evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the actions of the competent authorities of Serbia towards Marunović and demanded an “urgent and detailed” explanation of the procedure from Serbian institutions.
In its statement, the Ministry noted that such treatment of a Montenegrin artist, on the eve of a scheduled public cultural event, represents a gross violation of the basic principles of international cooperation and cultural exchange, RTCG reported.
“Such an act is unacceptable and undermines the spirit of good-neighborly relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs demands an urgent and detailed explanation of this procedure from the institutions of the Republic of Serbia and expects all circumstances to be clarified and appropriate steps taken as soon as possible to prevent similar incidents from recurring,” the Ministry emphasized.
Source: Nova, Photo: Printscreen/ Gradska RTV Podgorica/YouTube