The higher state prosecutor's office abandoned the prosecution of Batrićević

AUTHOR: M.J.

The higher state prosecutor's office in Podgorica abandoned the prosecution of historian and professor at the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature (FCJK) Dr. Boban Batrićević because of a column on the Antena M portal from August last year in which he criticized the views of senior priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC).

The head of the Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica issued a binding instruction for the proceedings in the case formed based on the request to initiate misdemeanor proceedings against the historian and columnist Boban Batrićeić. After inspecting the case files, the head of the Higher State Prosecutor's Office assessed that there were no elements of a misdemeanor in the request to initiate misdemeanor proceedings, which is why she instructed the acting state prosecutor to abandon further prosecution of the defendant Boban Batrićević - it was stated in the announcement of the VDT.

In October of last year, the Higher State Prosecutor's Office formed a case based on the report of lawyer Dejan Dragović, which he filed against Batrićević for the criminal offense of inciting national, racial and religious hatred. VDT rejected the report for a criminal offense, but in the opinion of prosecutor Snežana Šišević Batrićević still violated the law and deserved a misdemeanor sentence because of the column he wrote, which the Antena M portal published on August 11 of this year.ž

In the column, Batrićević expressed value judgments about the behavior of the Church of Serbia in Montenegro and its local bishops. The senior state prosecutor believes that he broke the law with the thesis that the priests of the Church of Serbia do not preach the faith of Christ and with the argumentation of such a position in the text "Torokanje po Methodology and Diaonikia" and that he should be punished.

The first hearing of Batrićević's trial was held on January 21 at the Court for Misdemeanors in Podgorica, when a large number of those who support Batrićević and freedom of speech and thought gathered in front of the courthouse.

The continuation of the trial in the Podgorica Court for Misdemeanors was scheduled for tomorrow.