Popovic Link to Summit Sparks Protest in Montenegro

Women's rights organizations protested in Podgorica on Wednesday against the Western Balkans "She is Here" convention, claiming it was linked to the former Serbian politican Vladimir Beba Popovic - who they accuse of running campaigns against civil society activists in Montenegro.

The three-day conference, which started on Wednesday, was organized by the NGO Women's Convention, with speakers including Florence Hartmann, former spokesperson of the Hague Prosecution, Vedrana Rudan, Croatian writer and columnist and Jelena Djokovic, wife of Serbian tennis player, Novak Djokovic.

Women Convention, which organized the event, is reportedly run by Popovic, who was the former information chief for the Serbian government.

The organization was founded in February and local media have reported that only a month later, Montenegro's government supported it with almost 18,000 euros. The government later denied this claim, however.

The conference is supported by Podgorica's local government, the national carrier Montenegro Airlines, the Science Ministry and the national theatre, CNP.

After the claims emerged that Popovic was behind the conference, the logos of the government and of Montenegro Airlines were removed from its website.

Meanwhile, several prominent journalists, businesswomen and female politicians from Montenegro and the region have canceled their participation.

Local daily newspaper Dan also reported that one of the organizers of the conference was Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's niece, Emina Kolarevic, and that one of the key speakers is his sister, lawyer Ana Djukanovic.

Popovic's Institute for Public Policy, an NGO he founded in Montenegro in 2013, has denied any connection with the women's convention....

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