27 February 2019 - Montenegro is committed to universal abolition of the death penalty and provides full support to the international community in ensuring transparency of data in this area, all order to develop effective strategies and prevent discrimination and inequality, Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović repeated in Geneva.
On the second day of his visit to Geneva, Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs participated in a high-level panel discussion on the death penalty on "Violation of human rights about the use of the death penalty, in particular with respect for the right to non-discrimination and equality".
During this panel discussion, Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, reminded that death rows were disproportionately populated by the poor and economically vulnerable; members of ethnic minorities; people with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities; foreign nationals; indigenous persons; and other marginalized members of society. The High Commissioner encouraged all States to take a stand on the right side of history and join the international trend towards abolition.
On this occasion, Minister Darmanović had the opportunity to meet with Michelle Bachelet, and discuss the topic of the panel. "During the discussion, the role of the Office of the High Commissioner for the Prevention of Human Rights was emphasized, and the Minister transferred the willingness of Montenegro to cooperate with OHCHR to further improve the situation in the field of human rights protection," the statement from the Ministry said. Darmanović also thanked OHCHR Expert Support in the goal of strengthening capacities and facing challenges in this area.
High Commissioner Bachelet praised the proactive role of Montenegro in the work of the Human Rights Council, cooperation with special procedures and mechanisms of the UN, as well as regular and timely reporting to the contracting authorities. She emphasized that it was important to continue with the reforms, and she expressed the readiness of the OHCHR to provide additional assistance to Montenegro in further activities on this plan.
