Montenegro Opposition Demands Controversial Serb’s Deportation

The Democratic Front on Thursday urged the Montenegrin Interior Ministry to revoke Popovic’s temporary residence permit because he "participated in the monstrous campaign of discrediting" leading human rights activist Vanja Calovic.

Popovic has been accused of being behind a video recording which purports to show Calovic, the head of a prominent Montenegrin NGO and a well-known government critic, having sex with dogs. The video was made public by the Montenegrin edition of Belgrade-based tabloid Informer.

Calovic has said that the video is a fake and accused Popovic of being responsible for what she called the "montage".  

Popovic is the former information chief for the Serbian government. He has also been accused by some critics of being an informal media adviser to Montenegrin and Serbian Prime Ministers Milo Djukanovic and Aleksandar Vucic, and of being behind media attacks on their opponents.

Democratic Front official Aleksandar Sekulic told BIRN on Thursday that Popovic had offended public morality and the honour and reputation of a public figure.

"With such behaviour, his residence in Montenegro was used in contrary to the purpose for which the permit was issued," Sekulic said.

He  said that police and Interior Minister Rasko Konjevic should determine whether "disseminating pornographic  material" was one of the services of the Popovic's Institute for Public Policy, on the basis of which he was granted temporary residence in Montenegro.

"We expect that in this case, minister Konjevic strictly interprets and applies the law,''  Sekulic said.

The Montenegrin Interior Ministry declined to comment.