Montenegro Pays Compensation for Torture
The court in Podgorica has sentenced the Montenegrin government to pay 10 000 euro each in damages for Šaban and Arifa Rizvanović, Bosnian Muslims who were tortured by Yugoslav soldiers in February 1993. The case is a great success for Civil Rights Defenders partner Humanitarian Law Centre (HLC).
On February 22 in 1993 Šaban was dragged by force from his in Bukovica and beaten by soldiers from a reserve unit of the Yugoslav army. The soldiers beat him so severely that he lost consciousness. When he was dropped in his house he found his wife Arif unconscious on the floor in a puddle of blood.
HLC believes that there are many deficiencies in the judgment against Montenegro, including the responsibility of the state, which is not emphasized enough. Despite this, the verdict will not be appealed because Šaban and Arifa Rizvanović are both almost 90 years old and want to see a legally binding decision that provides redress for the terrible crimes they suffered.
