Montenegro wants to return to Putin’s Russia: The ruling majority party is urgently calling for the adoption of a law on “foreign agents

The Coalition for the Future of Montenegro (ZBCG), whose leaders include Andrija Mandić, the Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro, who is close to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, has announced the urgent need to draft and adopt a law regulating the activities of various parties Foreign authorities are trying to influence the country’s domestic and foreign policy under the guise of NGOs.

“Political organizations are required by law to publish their finances and are subject to control by the competent state control authority (KLSH). However, this does not apply to these agencies, which misuse the name of NGOs while millions are injected into their budgets.”

“Our political work is in the center of public attention and there is no argument that we are working for anyone other than the interests of the voters and citizens of Montenegro,” the statement reads.

ZBCG stated that only due to the lack of a real law, today in Montenegro there are “not one, but several NGOs that operate outside and above the law and give themselves the right to unlawfully spread moral teachings and labels for almost all politicians, as well as state institutions”.

According to Mandić’s coalition, “these agencies design, lie and campaign very precisely for the needs of the foreign clients they work for, and these clients have concrete interests related to their influence in Montenegro, which in no way do not correspond to the interests and wishes of citizens”.

It is high time, they argue, “to clearly distinguish such agencies from the real NGOs whose goal is to improve the quality of life of citizens, and to call them by their true name – agents of influence of foreigners in Montenegro”.

This stance of the coalition, which is part of the ruling majority in Montenegro and is led by Mandić, who once declared that he considers Vladimir Putin to be his president, has provoked strong reactions from NGOs, political parties and the public.

The civil sector is worried, it is leaving the EU

The NGO sector has called on the ruling coalition to speak out clearly on this proposal so that the local and international public can clearly see who they are dealing with and regulate their behavior in the future.

The Western Balkans Strategy Group, which operates under the umbrella of the Heinrich Boll Foundation, reported that they were deeply concerned about the pro-Putin Vucic coalition’s call for the urgent introduction of a law against so-called foreign agents in Montenegro.

They pointed out that the ZBCG’s rhetoric is dangerous and reminiscent of the authoritarian measures already seen in Russia and Georgia, where laws on “foreign agents” have severely restricted the work of the NGO sector, undermined democratic principles, silenced critical voices and threatened human rights.

They warn that the adoption of the law in Montenegro could have disastrous consequences for civil society, which is already operating in an increasingly limited space.

They called on the international community and the democratic EU and NATO member states to react quickly and decisively and defend Montenegrin NGOs.

“This proposal not only threatens critical voices in Montenegro working to protect human rights, democracy and transparency, but also risks disrupting the EU integration process, which recently made progress when the EU granted Montenegro an IBAR,” they said.

The ZBCG proposal was also met with concern by the Citizens’ Alliance, which questions whether Montenegro is following the “Georgian script under the guise of democracy”.

“The autocratic ideas of certain political subjects should not be a personal badge of the current ruling majority, which should show whether it inherits European values only formally or substantially,” the NGO said.

Dragan Koprivica, executive director of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT), said that the announcement of the “Law on Foreign Agents” represents another anti-European and anti-Western idea of the ruling coalition, which advocates EU membership and acceptance of its values.

He recalled that over the years, the Venice Commission had also analyzed the compatibility of these harmful and authoritarian legislative proposals with applicable international and European standards and repeatedly warned that the restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, association and privacy would be curtailed as a result The laws contradicted the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Civic Education Center (QQQ) concluded that the initiative officially launched by the ZBCG coalition is a dangerous attempt to suppress freedom of expression and association, which are cornerstones of any democratic society.

They said that this was reminiscent of the dark practices of Russia and Ukraine and that these political structures were closer to their supporters than the EU, which was now clearly expressed despite the imitation they had been using recently.

“The law on “agents of foreign influence” is nothing more than an institutionalized repression of NGOs that play a key role in preserving democracy,” he said.

“Instead of promoting pluralism and working together with various actors to strengthen democracy, the latter is desperately trying to suppress any form of opinion that does not fit its worldview,” the CGE said, adding that Montenegro should not become a place of fear and oppression.

What do the political parties say?

The reactions of the political parties underline their rejection of this repressive initiative.

DPS, PES, SEP, European Union, LP, Bosnian Party (BS) condemned the initiative of ZBCG and said that “the policy of Montenegro must be separated from the brutal work of the agencies of various international security structures”.

“It was only a matter of time before we felt that a dictatorship was being exercised in countries such as Russia, Kyrgyzstan or Georgia.” The controversial legal solution will allow authorities to target civil society organizations and independent media, meaning they introduce the practices of authoritarian regimes, suppress free thought, persecute dissent and brand civil society as foreign agents and enemies of the state. “It is precisely this kind of “Russian law” that Moscow uses to stigmatize independent media, organizations and individuals critical of the Kremlin,” the opposition DPS emphasized.

The ruling movement Europe Now (PES) declared that they will not support the proposal to pass this law, as the policies adopted by this party are alien to any restriction of public opinion and rhetoric that contains echoes of repressive political regimes. They emphasized that they focus on achievements that represent EU standards for democracy and freedom of thought as well as a clear commitment to NATO membership.

They said they would not allow any civilized or legal deviation from this path “so that NGOs continue to function as before, within the already existing framework and in line with European practices”.

The Club of Democrats of Montenegro, which is part of the government, does not consider the initiative to adopt the law on foreign agencies a good one and will therefore not support it.

“Such laws pose serious risks to the freedom of association, expression and information – the basic principles of a democratic society. In analyzing this initiative, we find that the introduction of a ‘foreign agency law’ could violate fundamental civil rights.” “It will make the work of NGOs and independent media more difficult and create a climate of mistrust,” the party said.

Mirko Stanić, speaking on behalf of the opposition European Union, said that if anyone was unclear in which direction the ZBCG was steering Montenegro, it was now very clear and that the first to be hit would be “foreign agents of NGOs”.

“This was the title used by its official leader Aleksandar Vucic when he was Minister of Information and Propaganda in the late 1990s, targeting NGO activists, journalists and opposition politicians.” Fortunately, Montenegro has a very tough and strong NGO sector . to which the European Union will give all possible support,” said Stanic.

The Bosnian Party (BS), which is part of the government, has stated that it will not support any solution that would contradict the concept of an open and democratic society, which we have been defending for more than 18 years.

As MEP Edina Dešić said: “The active involvement of citizens in various areas and processes of social life is very important for any truly democratic society, and NGOs provide citizens with this opportunity through their activities.”

She said that any pressure from the government on the NGO sector is harmful for the development of democracy and Montenegro’s European path.

“The Bosnian party fully supports the work of NGOs and calls on government representatives to be more understanding and tolerant of different opinions and criticism, as these are the foundations of democracy,” Dešić said.

DFC: A serious threat to EU integration

A comprehensive analysis published by the Digital Forensic Center (DFC) concludes that the ZBCG’s call for the urgent introduction of a law on foreign agents poses a serious threat to Montenegro’s European integration.

“This law is an important tool of autocratic regimes to suppress freedom of expression and undermine democracy,” said the DFC.

A number of analyses and studies dealing with Russia’s harmful influence in Montenegro warn against the activities of Russian and Serbian intermediaries, emphasizing in particular the issue of the Foreign Agents Law.

Among other things, they noted that representatives of the Russian-Serbian influence, who are part of the current parliamentary majority in Montenegro, are working on shifting the border. Following the established methodology of gradual adaptation of Montenegrin society to previously unacceptable attitudes and unimaginable solutions, they are trying to take an initiative aimed at suppressing civil society organizations and independent media that promote values that are in line with their declared national and strategic goals are reflected in the process. of Montenegro’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Following the example of Russia

The law on “foreign agents” was introduced in Russia in 2012. The law initially applied to NGOs that received funds and donations from abroad.

In December 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law that expands the legal definition of who can be considered a foreign agent.

From 2022, this qualification will include any individual or group that receives money from abroad in any amount, be it from governments, organizations or even foreign citizens, and that publishes “printed, audio, audiovisual or other reports and materials”.

Laws on foreign agents, modeled on those of the Russian Federation, are in force or pending in Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Hungary and Slovakia./The Geopost/