PHOTO: BIRN. Montenegro’s religion law is enacted and signed.
On December 27, 2019, Montenegrin parliament passed a law on religious rights which led to protests by supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The law won 45 votes out of 81, enough for the ruling coalition to adopt it. Pro-Serb legislators were vehemently opposed to passing it, and the tension called in a raucous discussion.
The adopted law will require religious communities to demonstrate proof of ownership of their property from before 1918, the year Montenegro gave in its independence and joined Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The Serbian Orthodox Church described the law as “discriminatory and unconstitutional”.
President Milo Djukanovic signed the law on December 28, one day after the bill was adopted by the parliament.
[Sources]
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. (2019, December 28) Montenegrin President Signs Controversial Law on Religion. Retrieved from https://www.rferl.org/a/long-montenegrin-president-signs-controversial-law-on-religion/30349319.html
Al Jazeera. (2019, December 27) Montenegro adopts law on religion amid protests by pro-Serbs. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/montenegro-adopts-law-religion-protests-pro-serbs-191227084315704.html
Euronews. (2019, December 28). Hundreds protest in Serbia against new Montenegro church law. Retrieved from https://www.euronews.com/2019/12/28/hundreds-protest-in-serbia-against-new-montenegro-church-law
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