{"id":19553,"date":"2025-06-26T12:46:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T12:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/?p=19553"},"modified":"2025-06-26T13:08:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T13:08:48","slug":"montenegro-academic-freedom-and-expression-under-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2025\/06\/26\/montenegro-academic-freedom-and-expression-under-threat.html","title":{"rendered":"Montenegro: Academic freedom and expression under threat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Academic freedom, and the fundamental right to freedom of expression and information, are intrinsically linked. The government of Montenegro\u2019s effort to shut down the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature is a flagrant attempt to silence independent thought and critical debate. We urge the authorities to fully support the existence of vibrant academic institutions in the country,\u2019<\/em>\u00a0said Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International.<\/strong><\/p>\n

24 June 2025 \u2013 The government of Montenegro should fully uphold academic freedom, PEN International and the Montenegrin PEN Centre said today, after it attempted to force the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature into inoperability. The faculty faced closure on arbitrary grounds following mounting pressure in recent years, ostensibly on account of its independent stance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On 19 June 2025, the government of Montenegro was poised to approve student enrolment for the country\u2019s two public higher education institutions for the 2025\/2026 academic year. While it proceeded with its approval for the University of Montenegro, it\u00a0failed<\/a>\u00a0to do so for the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature, after some members of the ruling majority abstained from the vote and quorum could not be reached. Since a public call must be formally announced for any admission to be legally valid, the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature was left unable to proceed with student enrolment and at risk of imminent closure. The faculty subsequently\u00a0condemned<\/a>\u00a0and appealed against the decision, with the Montenegrin Lawyers Association\u00a0offering<\/a>\u00a0it free legal assistance and representation.<\/p>\n

Since it was established\u00a0 in 2014, the faculty has played a pivotal role in safeguarding the Montenegrin language, literature, and cultural identity, in teaching young writers and critical thinking, and is a long-standing partner of the\u00a0Montenegrin PEN Centre<\/a>. It has endured mounting hostility in recent years, including\u00a0delays in funding<\/a>, and pressure aimed at undermining its\u00a0accreditation<\/a>\u00a0and research licences. The latest incident comes against the backdrop of myriad\u00a0threats and harassment<\/a>\u00a0faced by independent writers, journalists and other creatives in Montenegro, amid a shrinking space for free expression.<\/p>\n

PEN International and the Montenegrin PEN Centre view the move to force the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature into inoperability as an unacceptable infringement on academic freedom. Following a national outcry, the government of Montenegro subsequently scheduled an electronic cabinet meeting\u00a0reversing<\/a>\u00a0its original decision and approving the enrolment of students at the faculty. While PEN International and the Montenegrin PEN Centre welcome the move, the organisations urge the authorities to ensure such violations do not recur in the future and to fully uphold their national and international obligations to protect fundamental rights.<\/p>\n

Note to editors:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For further details contact\u00a0Aur\u00e9lia Dondo,<\/strong>\u00a0Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International:\u00a0Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org<\/a><\/p>\n

For media queries, please contact\u202fSabrina Tucci<\/strong>, Communications and Campaigns Manager at PEN International,\u202f\u202fSabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Academic freedom, and the fundamental right to freedom of expression and information, are intrinsically linked. The government of Montenegro\u2019s effort to shut down the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature is a flagrant attempt to silence independent thought and critical debate. We urge the authorities to fully support the existence of vibrant academic institutions in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":19554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4201],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solidarity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19553"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19557,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19553\/revisions\/19557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}