Montenegrins

Montenegrin website editor Gojko Raicevic was released on Wednesday after being summoned for a police interview for publishing recordings of the telephone conversations of a former ambassador to Russia, Milan Rocen.

The Higher Court in Podgorica on Monday issued an extradition detention order for Sasa Sindjelic, who was arrested in Montenegro on the basis of an Interpol 'red notice' requested by the authorities in Croatia, where he is wanted.

In its opinion, the Commission, which serves as the top legal advisory body to the Council of Europe, urged the government to consult more with the public, including religious communities, to ease tensions with groups like the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"In general we backed the law," Vermeulen, a Dutch professor of Education Law, recalled.

Media in Serbia have accused the government of Montenegro of planning to "rob" the Serbian Orthodox Church, SOC, of its assets, while Serbian officials warn that a proposed law on Church property will worsen diplomatic relations.

Saturday's Church council comes after the Montenegrin government adopted a draft law which included a register of all religious objects and sites that were formerly owned by the independent kingdom of Montenegro before it became part of the Serb-dominated Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918.

The bishop reacted after the government of Montenegro said it wanted to pass a law that will declare all ancient property belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church built before 1918 as the state property, without offering any valid reason for this in the public interest, or eminent domain (defence, energy, infrastructure) or any compensation.

The High Court in Podgorica on Wednesday sentenced Vlado Zmajevic to 14 years in prison for war crimes against the civilian population.

Zmajevic, who was part of Yugoslav Army forces fighting in Kosovo, was found guilty of the murder of four Albanian civilians in the village of Zegra near Gnjilane in Kosovo during the war in 1999.

They were found guilty of plotting to commit "terrorist acts" and undermine the constitutional order during the parliamentary elections in October 2016, with a view to overthrowing the government and preventing Montenegro from joining NATO.

Prosecution 'carried out Djukanovic's orders'

One of the eight Serbian citizens convicted in the "coup" case in Montenegro, Branka Milic, is still in the Serbian embassy in Podgorica, while the other convicted Serbian citizens have left Montenegro for Serbia, the defence lawyer in the case, Jugoslav Krpovic, confirmed on Monday.

The Higher Court in Montenegro on Thursday sentenced 13 people, including two Russian military intelligence officers and two opposition leaders, to up to 15 years in prison for staging an attempted coup in 2016.

They were found guilty of plotting to commit "terrorist acts" and undermine the constitutional order of Montenegro during the parliamentary elections in October 2016.