Yugoslavia: Information on the current situation of visible minorities and Muslims in Montenegro

A representative from Helsinki Watch indicated in a telephone interview on 6 November 1991 that visible minorities are treated fairly throughout Yugoslavia. The representative also stated that many members of visible minorities are students from foreign states and that they mingle well with the university population (Ibid.). A Research Associate with the Centre for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Toronto indicated that there are no indigenous black people in Yugoslavia, although there may be a few individuals who remained in the country after coming to Yugoslavia to study (6 November 1991). The source indicated that while racial or ethnic discrimination is not legal, in rural areas where visible minorities are very uncommon, it is difficult to predict how someone of a different race might be treated (Ibid.). No further corroboration of the information provided by these oral sources is currently available to the IRBDC.

According to the 1981 national census in Yugoslavia, Muslims constitute approximately 13.4 percent of the population of Montenegro (RFE 21 Dec. 1990, 29). Muslims are currently represented in the Republic's government by the Democratic Coalition of Muslims and Albanians who won 13 seats in the December 1990 elections (FBIS-EEU-90-243 18 Dec. 1990, 70; Le Monde 19 Dec. 1990). However, the League of Communists won a clear majority with 83 of the 125 seats in Parliament (Ibid.). Please see the attached article on the Democratic Coalition.

Radio Free Europe noted in a December 1990 report on the election in Montenegro that "there is often animosity between the republic's Montenegrin majority and its Muslim and Albanian minorities" (RFE 21 Dec. 1990, 29). A representative from Helsinki Watch indicated that there has been some local harassment of Muslims by Montenegrins in some towns and villages (6 Nov. 1991). The Research Associate with the Centre for Russian and East European Studies indicated that there is no legal discrimination against Muslims, but that Muslims in Yugoslavia are generally disliked and looked down upon by other ethnic groups in the country (6 November 1991). Further information on relations between the Montenegrin and Muslim ethnic groups is not currently available to the IRBDC.

The Foreign Broadcast Information Service has recently reported on a referendum on autonomy for Muslims living in the communes in the Sandzak region, which includes parts of Montenegro and Serbia (FBIS-EEU-91-205 23 Oct. 1991, 53). The referendum was apparently sponsored by the Party for Democratic Action for Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo and was to be held on 25, 26, and 27 October 1991 (FBIS-EEU-91-200 16 Oct. 1991, 43). A report from Radio Belgrade Network indicates that the government of Serbia has called the referendum illegal (FBIS-EEU-91-206 24 Oct. 1991, 37). Please see the attached articles for details. The representative from Helsinki Watch indicated that the referendum was held in the Serbian portion of Sandzak, but not in Montenegro, which contains only a small part of the Sandzak

(6 Nov. 1991). A journalist with the Montenegrin newspaper Monitor also indicated that the Muslims of Montenegro did not vote in this referendum (31 Oct. 1991). The Helsinki Watch representative stated further that although the Serbian government did not recognize the legality of the referendum, no attempt was made to stop the referendum from proceeding and there have been no reports of arrests of people who voted (Ibid.).

No further information is currently available on these topics.

Bibliography

FBIS-EEU-91-206. 24 October 1991. "Serbian Government Proclaims Sandzak Referendum Illegal" Radio Belgrade Network [Belgrade, in Serbo-Croatian], 23 October 1991.

FBIS-EEU-91-205. 23 October 1991. "Sandzak Autonomy Referendum Examined" Radio Sarajevo Network [Sarajevo, in Serbo-Croatian], 22 October 1991.

FBIS-EEU-91-200. 16 October 1991. "Referendum Planned to Help Sandzak Muslims" Radio Belgrade Network [Belgrade, in Serbo-Croatian], 14 October 1991.

FBIS-EEU-90-243. 18 December 1990. "Communists Win Assembly Seat Majority" Tanjug Domestic Service [Belgrade, in Serbo-Croatian], 17 December 1990.

Journalist with the Montenegro newspaper Monitor, New York. 31 October 1991. Telephone Interview, Ottawa.

Le Monde. 19 December 1990. "Large victoire des communistes aux elections du Montenegro."

Radio Free Europe. 21 December 1991. Vol. 1, No. 51. Report on Eastern Europe. Andrejevich, Milan. "The Elections in Montenegro."

Representative of Helsinki Watch, New York. 6 November 1991. Telephone Interview, Ottawa.

Research Associate with the Centre for Russian and East European Studies, University of Toronto. 6 November 1991. Telephone Interview, Ottawa.

Attachments

FBIS-EEU-91-206. 24 October 1991. "Serbian Government Proclaims Sandzak Referendum Illegal" Radio Belgrade Network [Belgrade, in Serbo-Croatian], 23 October 1991.

FBIS-EEU-91-205. 23 October 1991. "Sandzak Autonomy Referendum Examined" Radio Sarajevo Network [Sarajevo, in Serbo-Croatian], 22 October 1991.

FBIS-EEU-91-200. 16 October 1991. "Referendum Planned to Help Sandzak Muslims" Radio Belgrade Network [Belgrade, in Serbo-Croatian], 14 October 1991.

FBIS-EEU-90-236. 7 December 1990. "Parties Running in Montenegrin Elections Profiled" in Borba [Belgrade, in Serbo-Croatian], 1-2 December 1990.