NGOs: 'Vilina Vlas' cannot be part of the Montenegro Pension and Disability Fund's holiday program

(Patria) - Non-governmental organizations Center for Civil Education (CGO) from Montenegro and the Association for Social Research and Communication (UDIK) from BiH yesterday sent an initiative to the Pension and Disability Fund of Montenegro to terminate the contract and withdraw the rehabilitation center "Vilina Vlas" near Višegrad from the holiday and recovery program offered by the Pension Fund to beneficiaries of pension rights under favorable conditions.

Pensioners in Montenegro have the opportunity to use holidays and recovery in several facilities in the country and the region, which represents an important and socially responsible measure. However, UDIK and CGO believe that the selection of these partner facilities must be in line with basic ethical principles, the culture of remembrance, and respect for victims of war crimes.

The "Vilina Vlas" spa resort, located about five kilometers from Višegrad, was a place of detention, torture, and systematic sexual violence against the non-Serb population during the war in BiH.

According to a 1994 report by a special United Nations Committee, around 200 women were raped at this facility in 1992, some of whom were killed, while others committed suicide.

Seventeen citizens of Bosniak nationality from the village of Sjeverin near Priboj were also abused and tortured there, abducted in October 1992 by members of the "Osvetnici" paramilitary formation, led by Milan Lukić.

In one of the judgments of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, this facility was described as a "rehabilitation center turned into a women's camp where women and girls were systematically abused".

Unfortunately, only one perpetrator has been prosecuted - Željko Lelek, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity, including sexual violence committed at "Vilina Vlas", while others were mostly convicted for other crimes they committed in Višegrad and surrounding areas.

After the war, "Vilina Vlas" continued to operate as a spa and rehabilitation resort. However, there is no information at the facility itself, nor in its official presentation, that it was a place of detention, torture, and rape during the war.

There is no memorial, memorial plaque, or any marker to warn visitors of these crimes. This, with the support of the authorities of that entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a systematic attempt to erase facts about the committed crimes.

Promoting this facility for tourism and rehabilitation purposes, without context and respect for the victims, represents an example of denial and normalization of crimes.

Many guests who visit "Vilina Vlas" today are unaware that they are staying in a place where mass rapes and murders occurred three decades ago.

This practice has been publicly condemned by the regional REKOM network of reconciliation, stating that it is a conscious choice to remain silent about the rapes and erase victims from public space.

The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina also reacted, emphasizing that places of suffering must not be presented as tourist destinations without the truth about what happened there.

The Pension Fund, as a public institution of Montenegro, must consider the ethical implications of its decisions and partnerships.

Therefore, it is unacceptable to send male and female pensioners - who may include survivors of war trauma or family members of victims - to a facility that symbolizes systematic sexual violence and crimes against humanity. Such a practice can also be interpreted as indirect consent to revisionism and denial of crimes.

For this reason, CGO and UDIK call on the Pension Fund to, in accordance with the principles of social responsibility and respect for victims, initiate the procedure to terminate the current contract with the rehabilitation center "Vilina Vlas", and to introduce clear criteria for future partner selection that include respect for the dignity of victims of war crimes and a responsible attitude towards the legacy of the past.

UDIK and CGO regret that the management of the Pension Fund has not already done so, especially considering that this issue has recently been re-actualized in Montenegro by some media outlets.

The termination of this contract would be a clear signal that Montenegro does not agree to the normalization of places of crime under the guise of tourism and rehabilitation, but that its institutions contribute to building a society that responsibly deals with the past and shows solidarity with the victims, CGO and UDIK announced.