Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
May 27, 2003
TERROR AGAINST STUDENTS OF THE CETINJE SEMINARY
TURNS INTO MURDER ATTEMPT
The most recent attack and murder attempt against Nikola Jankovic, a student of the St.
Peter of Cetinje Seminary, a few days ago in Cetinje, forces us to ask ourselves whether
the years of terror against students have taken on such proportions that only the
irresponsible to not wish to see their consequences.
So that the domestic and international public has a clear picture of what is occurring
here, as well as what persistently remains unsaid, we cite only flagrant examples of
violation of the fundamental child and human rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the
Republic of Montenegro and the Universal Declaration of the United Nations with respect to
the students and professors of the oldest educational and religious institution in
Montenegro, the St. Peter of Cetinje Seminary:
- September 20, 1992 – Stoning and gathering in front of the Seminary, where some of the
participants demanded the burning of the children?!
- May 05, 1996 – Seminary vehicle with three students and one professor stoned in Bajici
near Cetinje.
- May 31, 1997 – Seminary building stoned; no one injured.
- April 20, 1998 – Hooligans physically attacked four students and a professor from the
Seminary in the church in Ceklici near Cetinje.
- November 22, 1998 – Students of the Seminary physically attacked in Cetinje; two of
them, Aleksandar Mrakic and Nikola Stefanov (an Australian citizen), sustained physical
injuries.
- November 21, 1999 – A group of hooligans headed by Miras Dedeic, an excommunicated
former priest, attacked two students and a professor of the Seminary in Cev near Cetinje
and inflicted lighter physical injuries upon them.
- November 21, 1999 – A group of hooligans beat up six students of the Seminar in the
Spoleto Restaurant in Cetinje. Students Ivan Kosta and Sinisa Jankovic sustained the most
serious injuries. Due to the serious injuries he received, Kosta was admitted to the
intensive care unit of a Belgrade hospital.
- December 21, 2000 – A group of unknown hooligans stoned the Seminary and broke
numerous windows.
- March 01, 2001 – A group of hooligans interrupted church services - a requiem service
for King Nikola - in the church in Cipur (Cetinje) and inflicted blows upon one student of
the Seminary.
- December 16, 2001 – Seminary students Zarko Lazarevic, Uros Stojanovic and Pavle
Ljeskovic were beaten up in the most brutal fashion, with iron bars and chains, in Dvorski
Square in the center of Cetinje.
- February 16, 2002 – Seminary building stoned resulting in one student of the first
year, Bojan Cvetkovic.
- February 17, 2002 - Stoning of the Seminary repeated.
- May 06, 2002 – On Easter Day, as the entire Christian world celebrated the greatest of
holidays, the Seminary experienced the most brutal stoning to date. The windows on the
student infirmary and the computer room were destroyed.
- October 14, 2002 – Hooligans Marko Bokan and Darko Lubarda ambushed second year
Seminary student Nikola Drakula in Njegoseva Street in Cetinje and extorted money by
threatening him with a knife.
- October 28, 2002 – Hooligans Marko Bokan and Darko Lubarda physically attacked second
year Seminary student Bojan Krstanovic in Njegoseva Street in Cetinje and injured his
right eye.
- October 30, 2002 – Hooligans Ilija Milanovic and Jagos Vujovic, with several unknown
individuals, physically attacked second year Seminary student Miroslav Mihajlovic in front
of the Grand Hotel in Cetinje and injured his eye.
- November 15, 2002 – A group of hooligans, among whom Andrija Ivanovic, Lazar Prlja and
Luka Gazivoda were recognized, stoned Seminary students Srdjan Kandic, Milivoje Tesanovic,
Branko Markovic and Milos Viskovic in the part in front of the Seminary in Cetinje and
inflicted lighter injuries upon them.
- May 22, 2003 – Hooligans Goran Mrvaljevic and Darko Lubarda physically attacked
Seminary student Nikola Jankovic in Njegoseva Street in Cetinje. One of the attackers
repeatedly kicked Jankovic in the head, while the other stabbed him twice with a knife,
including one wound in the area of the heart, which represents a blatant murder attempt.
In addition to these comprehensively cited cases, it should also be emphasized that the
children of Seminary professors who attend elementary school in Cetinje are repeatedly
exposed to attacks and abuse.
All these incidents were reported to the appropriate state authorities and the media were
also informed. The results of the failure to act should be obvious to everyone today.
It would be unjust to accuse only the young people who carried out these attacks for
everything that has happened to the students of the Seminary, knowing as we do that
similar terror has been conducted in recent years against the Metropolitanate of
Montenegro and the Littoral with the help of some state services and the media under their
control. The young people have older instigators who in recent years have conducted
unsanctioned terror against the Church.
It is human to ask ourselves how the executive and judicial state organs would react if,
God forbid, the children of the most responsible people in this State were exposed to
terror and murder attempts?
We hope that the pure and innocent blood of students that has been shed will finally make
the responsible in this State realize where this violence against children and the Church
is leading.
If state officials do not undertake measures in accordance with the Constitution and the
Law which will yield real results, they will be solely responsible for the evil and misery
begotten by this anarchy, senselessly fanned by some irresponsible politicians, state
officials and media.
