Vladislav Dajković, president of Free Montenegro, held a press conference following a ruling by an Albanian court over a social media post he made about Shkodër in 2020.
Prison Sentence Over a Social Media Post About Shkodër
Dajković said he had initially received a three-year prison sentence, which was reduced by one-third to two years.
“Six years ago, I took a photograph in Shkodër with the Montenegrin tricolor flag, accompanied by the words: ‘Greetings to everyone from the ancient Serbian city of Shkodër. I also have a special family tradition connected to this city, because it was my great-grandfather, Luka Dajković, to whom Essad Pasha handed over the keys to the city, which he then presented to King Nikola.’ Because of that post, I was convicted of inciting national hatred and discord under Article 265 of Albania’s Criminal Code,” Dajković said.
He stated that the court’s written judgment also cited information from Albania’s intelligence service concerning his political views and his ties to the Serbian Orthodox Church and the late Metropolitan Amfilohije.
“That leads me to conclude that the entire case is, in fact, political in nature,” he said.
Dajković said that the attorney appointed to represent him had repeatedly asked him to travel to Albania for court hearings. According to Dajković, he was also invited to return after the verdict to discuss arrangements concerning a suspended sentence.
“I am absolutely certain that if I went to an Albanian prison, I would leave it in a coffin,” Dajković said.
He emphasized that the social media post for which he was convicted contained no insults or threats against Albania’s territorial integrity or sovereignty, or against any individual.
“I stated a historical fact. Shkodër really was a Serbian city for centuries. If I have to go to prison for that, then Montenegro’s entire education system should also be arrested, because it made us memorize poems such as ‘The Building of Skadar on the Bojana’ and ‘The Marriage of King Vukašin,’” he said.
“I Am Being Convicted for What Others Are Allowed to Do”
Dajković also questioned whether the same standards were being applied in Montenegro.
“If similar standards were applied in Montenegro, how many thousands of years in prison should Albanians from Tuzi, Ulcinj, Plav and Gusinje receive for repeatedly waving the flags of Greater Albania, which truly imply taking Montenegrin territory? Has any Albanian ever been convicted in Montenegro for the same thing I was convicted of? Of course not. In Montenegro, it is punishable only when Serbs do something similar,” Dajković said.
He also said he had not received the support he expected from his own country during the court proceedings, despite speaking several times with Justice Minister Bojan Božović, who, according to Dajković, had promised him legal assistance.
“I never received that legal assistance. Nevertheless, I will request another meeting with Minister Božović, because I genuinely want to see whether I, as a Serb in Montenegro, really am a second-class citizen, as it appears I am,” he said.
Dajković described the verdict as politically motivated and intended to remove him from political life.
“When I see the continuity of anti-Serbian policies in Montenegro, which clearly overlaps with anti-Serbian policies in Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and so-called Kosovo, it is clear to me that this verdict is politically motivated and serves one purpose: to eliminate an outspoken Serb from political life, and even separate him from his family, in order to send a message to all other Serbs: ‘Watch what you do. You could be next,’” Dajković said.
Fears of Extradition to Albanian Authorities
He expressed concern that the Montenegrin authorities might attempt to initiate proceedings to extradite him to Albania.
“I would not be surprised if the Montenegrin government, in an effort to ingratiate itself with the EU, Albanians and Croats, initiated a mechanism for my extradition to the Albanian authorities. But they should know that, in that case, they would unite the Serbian people as never before. They should know that I will not voluntarily surrender to the Albanian authorities, because I have not killed anyone, robbed anyone or done anything to harm the state of Albania,” he said.
Call for the Formation of a Serbian Front
He called on Serbian political parties that are not part of the government to unite and form a Serbian Front.
“That is precisely why, whether I am in an Albanian prison or free, I call on all Serbian parties that are not part of the anti-Serbian government to unite and form a Serbian Front, which may be the only protection against growing Serbophobia, both in the region and in Montenegro. Only such a Serbian Front can restore the Serbian language, the tricolor flag and the anthem, withdraw recognition of so-called Kosovo, and lift sanctions on Russia,” Dajković said.
He concluded his remarks with verses by the Montenegrin poet and ruler Petar II Petrović-Njegoš:
“I do not fear the devil’s brood,
even if they are as numerous as leaves upon the mountain,
but I fear the evil that comes from within.”
Source and Photo: Free Montenegro Media Team
