The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police as well as the conditions of detention of persons held on remand in prison. In the course of the visit, the CPT’s delegation also reviewed the implementation of the legal safeguards against ill-treatment and the system of police oversight. The visit was also an opportunity for the delegation to review the implementation of the recommendations made by the Committee in its report on the 2017 visit to Montenegro.
During the visit, the delegation held consultations with Mersudin Gredić, State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Bojan Božović, State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Astrit Hoxha, State Secretary of the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights. It also met Zoran Brđanin, Director of the Police and Darko Bulatović, Director General of the Directorate for Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions, as well as senior officials from the Police Directorate, the Administration for Enforcement of Penal Sanctions, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The delegation held separate discussions with Special Prosecutor, Zorica Milanović of the Office of the Supreme State Prosecutor. It also met with the Heads of the Unit for Internal Control of the Ministry of Interior, the Disciplinary Commission and the Ethics Committee.
Additional consultations were held with the Parliamentary Council for the Civic Control of the Work of the Police and with the Security and Defence Committee of the Montenegrin Parliament.
The delegation also met Siniša Bjeković, Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro, and representatives of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) as well as members of civil society active in areas of concern to the CPT.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary findings to the Montenegrin authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Nico Hirsch (Head of delegation)
- Marios Anastasi
- Sanja Bezbradica Jelavić
- Ömer Müslümanoğlu.
They were supported by Francesca Gordon of the CPT's Secretariat.
The delegation visited the following establishments:
Police establishments
- Bar Security Centre (CB)
- Bijelo Polje Security Centre (CB)
- Mojkovac Security Department (OB)
- Nikšić Security Centre (CB)
- Pljevlja Security Centre (CB)
- Podgorica Security Centre (CB)
- Police Directorate Offices, “Limenka”, Podgorica
- Police Directorate Offices, “Delta City”, Podgorica
Prison establishments
- Remand Prison, Bijelo Polje
- Remand Prison, Spuž Prison Complex
