Montenegrin citizens Stefan Tatar, Mirko Žižić, Damjan Otašević, Darko Ašanin, and Danilo Ljutić have submitted a statement to the TVPG portal describing the alleged abuse they say they suffered on June 28, Vidovdan, in Kosovo.
Their statement is reproduced in full below:
On June 28, 2026, on Vidovdan, we traveled from Montenegro to attend the Divine Liturgy at the Gračanica Monastery, followed by the memorial service for the Kosovo heroes at Gazimestan.
Without displaying any national symbols, we attended the memorial service peacefully and with dignity. After it concluded, we headed toward the exit of the memorial complex.
The gathering ended peacefully and respectfully, without any inappropriate behavior or provocations directed at the security personnel who were providing security for the event. We emphasize that, apart from us pilgrims and the security officers, there were no other people present inside the complex, especially no Albanian civilians.
However, at the exit, completely unexpectedly, members of the security forces pulled us out of the crowd and detained us, placing us inside a container where a number of other people, who we later learned had also been detained, were being held.
They then handcuffed us so tightly that we were left with bruises on our wrists before forcing us into a police van and taking us to the police station.
During the drive, Damjan Ćulafić was allegedly struck repeatedly in the head with open hands by members of the Kosovo security forces.
Immediately upon arriving at the police station, the abuse allegedly continued against the other detained citizens of Montenegro. According to the statement, it was carried out mainly by younger police officers, both in plain clothes and in uniform, without clearly visible identification.
Mirko Žižić was punched in the stomach without any apparent reason, while Danilo Ljutić was taken into a separate room, where he was allegedly beaten. He returned with visible head injuries, which, according to the statement, were confirmed by a medical report.
The injuries were documented through medical reports, as well as photographs and video recordings.
Throughout the entire incident, the police officers allegedly insulted us with derogatory names and attempted to force us to sing “Kosovo Republic.” After we refused, they randomly selected several young men, physically assaulted them, and beat them. Those individuals, although not citizens of Montenegro, also have their injuries documented in medical reports.
During the entire ordeal, we received absolutely no assistance—not even water—contrary to what the police officers who detained us later claimed.
We call on the state of Montenegro to undertake all legal and other available measures, both within Montenegro and before the international community, to protect our personal dignity, human rights, and our physical and spiritual integrity, in light of the inhumane treatment and torture we were subjected to by the security authorities.
We would also like to add that we have now been in Kosovo for three days, waiting for the court’s decision without the documents that were confiscated from us, and we have also been left without any money.
This statement was delivered on June 30, 2026, to Montenegro’s Ambassador to Kosovo, Mr. Bernard Čobaj.
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Source: TVPG, Foto: Privatna arhiva