Montenegro Ombudman's Rights Report Presents Mixed Picture

Montenegro's Human Rights Ombudsman received more than 680 complaints of human rights violations in 2014, mostly by public services, the body said, presenting its annual report on Thursday.

Ombusdam Sucko Bakovic said Montenegro made some progress in the field of human rights protection in 2014, but the situation was still not satisfactory.

"Some progress was achieved, particularly in the fields of fundamental rights and legislation. Citizens are becoming more aware of their rights and are seeking protection," he added.

In addition to discrimination and violation of rights in the civil service, ignoring the demands of citizens and the violations of people's human dignity, Bakovic said, the Ombudsman's office said it had received a number of complaints of violations of the right to trial within a reasonable time, the right to work, the right to property and the right to health protection.

The report also revealed an "alarming increase" in violations of children's rights, and Bakovic said the number of complaints in this area had been increasing for years.

He further said that the report on the work of the Administrative Court in 2014 highlighted the problems in the quality of the public administration in Montenegro.

Out of a total of 3,329 judgments, in almost half the cases the court overturned the earlier decisions of state institutions.  

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro on Thursday said it welcomed signs of progress in the protection of human rights while urging Montenegro to do more to ensure full respect for the principles in this field.

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