“She used the opportunity to show integrity and truly stand behind the principles for which she publicly advocates, on the line of party positions, using the same down-to-earth and incendiary rhetoric, to unequivocally tell the victim of the attack not to trust her,” said the directors and members of non-governmental organizations, activists, journalists…

The Vice-President of the Assembly Zdenka Popović – MP of the Democrats, member of the Women’s Leadership Network and co-president of the Women’s Club of the Assembly – shows unquestioning loyalty to the leaders of her party and the leadership of the security sector, instead of affirming gender equality and democratic dialogue.

This is written in the statement signed by directors and members of non-governmental organizations, activists, journalists…

61 of them expressed their protest due to, as they said, the attack of the Democrat deputy on the human rights defender Thea Gorjanc Prelevic – “a woman who has persistently and indiscriminately advocated for the rule of law for years”.

“From someone who claims to have been ‘working for years to empower women to take on leadership roles – in politics, economy and society’ and who ‘supports every initiative that opens up space for women to participate equally,’ we would expect him to warn party colleagues and even condemn their outrageous disqualification of an activist, exposed to orchestrated attacks in the public space just because of her public activities. We would expect him to criticize the notorious replacement of theses by mentioning the business of the husband of Teea Gorjanc Prelevic in this context that is used as a silencing strategy, instead of formulating reasoned answers to legitimate questions and criticisms, which would be the minimum standard of dialogue culture,” the statement reads.

Instead, they remind, the vice-president of the Assembly publicly tells Tei Gorjanc Prelevic that she “quite transparently and pathetically plays the victim, who is allegedly attacked by someone”.

“She used the opportunity to show integrity and truly stand behind the principles for which she publicly stands, on the line of party positions, using the same mundane and incendiary rhetoric, to unequivocally tell the victim of the attack not to trust her – an old tried and tested tool of patriarchal violence that MP Popović is clearly not ready to give up. When women, who have reached the highest positions precisely thanks to the advocacy of human rights defenders to legislate quotas for greater political participation of women, use their authority to attack them, thereby sending the message that women’s solidarity and the fight for gender equality are principles of ‘lesser importance’ – consumable goods that can be traded for the sake of daily politics and party loyalty,” they add.

Such statements, they said, erode women’s confidence in politics and public life and discourage them from influencing social change.

“Women in high positions have the opportunity, but also an additional obligation, to show through their actions how power can be used to build integrity, mutual respect and trust, and not to discipline and belittle those who fight for all of us,” the statement reads.

They say that, “regardless of this and similar disappointing practices”, they will continue to advocate for greater participation of women in politics, in the belief that the next generation of female politicians will be true creators of narratives and public policies tailored to all citizens, “and not blind followers of their male colleagues even when they lead wrong policies and unarguably attack the civil sector due to narrow party interests”.

“We condemn any hate speech against women, even when it is directed at dissenters, and we expect the Committee for Gender Equality and the Women’s Club to abandon the bad practice of selectively defending only those women who are in power,” they announced:

Maja Raičević, Executive Director, Women’s Rights Center

Ana Jaredić, Women’s Rights Center

Zorica Konatar, Women’s Rights Center

Teodora Balšić, Women’s Rights Center

Teodora Ciriviri, Women’s Rights Center

Tanja Markuš, Women’s Rights Center

Anita Stjepčević, Women’s Rights Center

Daliborka Uljarević, Executive Director, Center for Civic Education

Sara Čabarkapa, Center for Civic Education

Ervina Dabižinović, coordinator, Center for Women’s and Peace Education ANIMA

Ljupka Kovačević, NGO Center for Women’s and Peace Education ANIMA

Milena Popović Samardžić, executive director, Ipso Facto

Marijana Camović Veličković, vice president, Media Union of Montenegro

Marina Vujačić, Executive Director, Association of Disabled Youth of Montenegro

Milka Tadić Mijović, Executive Director, Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro

Zenepa Lika, executive director, Dr. Martin Schneider-Jacoby Association

Nikoleta Đukanović, executive director, Sociological Center of Montenegro SOCEN

Mila Radulović, President, Association of Professional Journalists of Montenegro

Aida Perović, executive director, Prima

Olivera Nikolić, executive director, Media Institute of Montenegro

Ivana Vujović, Executive Director, Juventas

Jelena Čolaković, Juventas

Marija Jovanović, activist, Association Spectra

Danijela Nikić, Association Spectra

Aleksandra Kraljević, Association Spectra

Milva Milić, Association Spectra

Iskra Đurišić, Association Spectra

Nevenka Vuksanović, Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Human Rights

Sabina Talović, executive director, Bona fide

Slavica Striković, member of the Board of Directors, Women’s Action

Mira Saveljić, director, Safe Women’s House

Ana Dedivanović, Executive Director, Association of LBTQ Women “Stana”

Staša Bistrica, Executive Director, Montenegrin LGBTIQ Association Queer Montenegro

Marija Backović, Executive Director, Empty Space

Fana Delija, Executive Director, Center for Roma Initiatives

Kristina Mihailović, Executive Director, Parents Association

Zorana Marković, Executive Director, Center for the Development of Non-Governmental Organizations

Azra Vuković, executive director, Green Home

Jovanja Janjušević, executive director, Center for the Protection and Study of Birds

Nataša Nelević, executive director, Profemina

Velida Hodžić, executive director, Ikra Rožaje

Bojana Jokić, Executive Director, LGBT Forum Progress

Nataša Međedović, executive director, SOS Telephone for women and children victims of violence – Nikšić

Sonja Dragović, KANA/who if not an architect

Martina Markolović, Action for Human Rights

Bojana Malović, Action for Human Rights

Amra Bajrović, Action for human rights

Elizabeta Mrnjačević, Action for Human Rights

Ivana Živaljević, Action for Human Rights

Dina Bajramspahić, civil activist

Jovana Marović, civil activist

Paula Petričević, activist

Ivana Čogurić Rašović, activist

Nađa Durković, professor of literature

Olivera Lakić, journalist

Milena Bešić, civil activist

Vesna Rajković Nenadić, journalist

Maja Boričić, journalist

Tamara Milaš, civil activist

Maša Elezović, activist for women’s rights

Varja Djukic, actress