Montenegro Minister Sacked for Querying Srebrenica Genocide Rulings

Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights Vladimir Leposavic in parliament. Photo: Parliament of Montenegro.

His dismissal was supported by the votes of 43 opposition MPs and ruling Black on White coalition MPs. The other two ruling majority blocs, For the Future of Montenegro and Peace is Our Nation, did not support his dismissal.

Leposavic told parliament he was sorry if any of his remarks had hurt and divided people.

"I call on all citizens, especially Christians and Muslims, to cooperate, talk and respect the crimes committed against their nation. In the earlier statement, I said that I was sorry that my clumsy answer hurt people," Leposavic said on Wednesday. "I will pay the price but the government will survive," he added.

On April 5, Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic proposed Leposavic's sacking, claiming he had showed no respect for international court rulings and the government's own politics.

The pro-Serbian politician had argued on March 29 that the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, which classified the 1995 massacres of Bosniaks from Srebrenica as genocide, had no legitimacy.

He said this was because it had destroyed evidence about the alleged trafficking of the organs of Serb civilians in Kosovo. The minister later insisted he was not denying the Srebrenica genocide but expressing his position on the Hague court in general.

During the parliamentary session, Krivokapic said Montenegro needed to decide whether it will be a European and democratic country or constantly feel the consequences of the conflicts of the 1990s.

The pro-Serbian Democratic Front, meanwhile, warned that the minister's dismissal would endanger the future of the coalition government.

"Krvokapic will no longer be Prime...