(VIDEO) Milatović apologizes to Alen Bajrović, whose father died during the deportation of refugees from BiH in 1992

(Patria) - President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović received representatives of non-governmental organizations dealing with war crimes issues in Montenegro and Alen Bajrović, son of Osman Bajrović who died in the crime of deportation of refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992, whose body was never found.

“Alen, on behalf of Montenegro, I want to apologize to you and your family for the crime in which your father and numerous other innocent victims perished. We as a society must confront the truth, especially when it is dark, and I hope that nothing like this will ever happen again,” said the President of Montenegro in a conversation with Bajrović, who told him his life story and the family's struggle to find the truth about his father.

Milatović also emphasized a clear distancing from the war policies of the then authorities, the consequences of which, he said, still burden Montenegrin society today.

As announced by Milatović's cabinet, representatives of the civil sector emphasized that, after more than three decades, this is the first time they have had the opportunity to discuss the crime of deportation with the president of the country, which they consider very important.

“They stated that the crime that happened is not only a trauma for the families of the victims but also for society as a whole, and therefore it must be fully shed light on, through a non-selective approach by the judiciary and strengthening the culture of remembrance. They reminded that despite numerous initiatives to various institutions for the construction of a monument to the victims in the courtyard of the Herceg Novi Security Center and the establishment of a Day of Remembrance for the crime of deportation, they have not yet received an answer,” the statement said.

Representatives of the Human Rights Action Tea Gorjanc-Prelević, the Center for Civic Education Daliborka Uljarević and Tamara Milaš, as well as the Center for Women's and Peace Education ANIMA Ervina Dabižinović attended the meeting with Milatović.