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In an otherwise scenic coastal city surrounded by rocky, lush terrain and buzzing with tourists, smoke and chaos consumed Budva, Montenegro as a clash between police and demonstrators ensued. On June 17, 2020, Montenegro's police and SAJ (Special Anti-Terrorist Unit) raided the government municipality building of Budva.
Their primary instruction was to disperse the "opposition" demonstrators and arrest Mayor Marko Carević. Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered in front of the municipal building to protest President Milo Ðukanović's uncovered hush deal that tipped the municipality's majority in favor of Ðukanović's DPS Party (Democratic Party of Socialists), forcing incumbent Mayor Carević out in the process.
In 2016, a coalition between the DF (Democratic Front) and Democratic parties had secured a majority in Budva's municipality, placing the oversight of Montenegro's thriving tourist city under the control of Ðukanović's most vociferous political opponents. Carević, elected as mayor from the DF party, saw his short-lived tenure as mayor come to an abrupt end after Ðukanović bribed a DF Party councilor to switch parties.
When it came time to transfer power to Nikola Divanović, Ðukanović's newly appointed mayor of Budva, Carević, refused to step down, calling it an unfair, undemocratic political selection process. Carević's refusal led Ðukanović to order the police and SAJ to forcefully take him down, inciting demonstrators across Budva to stand in front of the municipality building in solidarity with Carević. As police started making their arrests, what started as a peaceful protest and stand-down escalated to an abhorrent example of police brutality.
Among the arrested were: Carević, Manager Milo Božović, Secretary of Investments Mladen Mikijelj, Chief of Cabinet Nikola Jovanović, and Advisor Ðorðe Vujović. There were dozens more injured, experiencing acts of overt overuse of force. An officer kneeled on Mikijelj's neck despite his being in handcuffs and showing no signs of resistance. Vujović was thrown down cement stairs and had to be hospitalized for serious spine injuries.
The chaos in Budva did not end there. Eight days following the raid on the municipality, police threw tear gas at Serbian children who were at basketball practice.
However, the incidences of police brutality filmed in Budva are far from being isolated events. They are a part of a longstanding history of Ðukanović forcefully targeting, silencing, and intimidating his...