Chief Prosecutor Brammertz meets with Montenegrin officials

PODGORICA, (Patria) - Mechanism Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz is visiting Podgorica from January 28 to 30, 2019.

The Prosecutor will meet with President Milo Đukanović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin, Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović, and Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stanković to discuss the continuation and deepening of cooperation between the Mechanism Prosecutor's Office and the Montenegrin authorities in the area of achieving justice for war crimes, searching for missing persons, and overcoming the legacy of the recent past through reconciliation, especially after the closure of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 

This morning, January 29, Chief Prosecutor Brammertz and Supreme State Prosecutor Stanković signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mechanism Prosecutor's Office and the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office of Montenegro on cooperation in the criminal prosecution of war crimes and other grave breaches of international humanitarian law. Based on this agreement, the Mechanism Prosecutor's Office will provide the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office with access to the evidence collection held by the Mechanism Prosecutor's Office and respond to requests for assistance.

Prosecutor Brammertz also informed the Supreme State Prosecutor about other forms of assistance that the Mechanism Prosecutor's Office can provide, including direct assistance in ongoing cases, legal advice, training on advanced prosecutorial skills, and support for regional judicial cooperation. 

Following the signing of this agreement, Chief Prosecutor Brammertz noted that Montenegro has undertaken important obligations regarding war crimes, the rule of law, and reconciliation, including declarations adopted in 2018 at the London Summit and in the negotiations for accession to the European Union.

Prosecutor Brammertz stated: "After the closure of the ICTY, the responsibility for achieving justice for war crimes now lies with national authorities. The Prosecutor's Office I lead has a clear message: we are fully committed to continuing and strengthening the assistance we provide to our partners at the national level, who face significant challenges and need the knowledge and expertise of the Mechanism Prosecutor's Office. As stated in our discussions today, our common goal is for Montenegrin prosecutors to be able in the future to achieve meaningful justice for victims of war crimes to a greater extent, which will ultimately foster the rule of law and reconciliation."