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{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Milan Knežević<br />Милан Кнежевић
| name = Milan Knežević<br />Милан Кнежевић
| image = File:Милан Кнежевић.png
| image = Milan Knežević, President of the Democratic People's Party of Montenegro.jpg
| image_size = 230px
| image_size = 230px
| caption = Milan Knežević in January 2020.
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|3|24|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|3|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Titograd]], [[SFR Yugoslavia]]<br />{{small|(now [[Podgorica]], [[Montenegro]])}}
| birth_place = [[Titograd]], [[SFR Yugoslavia]]
| office = [[Parliament of Montenegro|Member of Parliament]]
| office = [[Parliament of Montenegro|Member of Parliament]]
| term_start = 29 March 2009
| term_start = 29 March 2009
| president = [[Democratic People's Party (Montenegro)]]
| president = [[Ranko Krivokapić]]<br />[[Darko Pajović]]<br />[[Ivan Brajović]]<br />[[Aleksa Bečić]]
| profession = Politician
| profession = Politician
| nickname = Pipun
| alma_mater = [[Faculty of Philosophy, University of Montenegro|University of Montenegro]]
| alma_mater = [[Faculty of Philosophy, University of Montenegro|University of Montenegro]]
| party = [[Democratic People's Party (Montenegro)|Democratic People's Party]] <br />[[Socialist People's Party of Montenegro|Socialist People's Party]] <br />{{small|(until 2012)}}
| party = [[Democratic People's Party (Montenegro)|Democratic People's Party]] <br />(2012-present)<br />[[Socialist People's Party of Montenegro|Socialist People's Party]] <br />(until 2012)
}}{{Distinguish|Milan Knežević (Serbian politician)}}
}}{{Distinguish|Milan Knežević (Serbian politician)}}
'''Milan Knežević''' ([[Serbian Cyrillic]]: Милан Кнежевић; born 24 March 1980) is a [[Montenegro|Montenegrin]] politician and poet. He is the founder and current president of the [[right-wing]] [[Democratic People's Party (Montenegro)|Democratic People's Party]], a member of presidency of the opposition [[Democratic Front (Montenegro)|Democratic Front]] alliance, current Мember of the [[Parliament of Montenegro]] and the President of the Parliamentary Board for Defence and Security.<ref>[http://www.dnpcg.me/predsjednik-dnp/ Predsjednik], DNP official web site</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=LOŠE VESTI ZA DPS: Milan Knežević dobio važnu funkciju u Crnoj Gori|url=https://www.novosti.rs/crna-gora/vesti/946093/lose-vesti-dps-milan-knezevic-dobio-vaznu-funkciju-crnoj-gori|access-date=2020-12-18|website=NOVOSTI|language=sr}}</ref>
'''Milan Knežević''' ([[Serbian Cyrillic]]:is a Montenegrin writer and politician.
He is the President of the Democratic People’s Party of Montenegro (DNP), a
parliamentary party in the Parliament of Montenegro.
He was born on 24 March 1980 in Podgorica. He lives and works in his hometown.
He completed his primary and secondary school in Podgorica.
He graduated in Serbian Language and South Slavic Literature at the Faculty of
Philosophy of the University of Nikšić.
He speaks Russian and English.


==Biography==
==Biography==
===Private life===
He has been involved in literature since high school, when he started writing
He was born to a [[Serbs of Montenegro|Serb]] family in 1980 in [[Podgorica|Titograd]] (Podgorica). Having finished elementary and secondary school in [[Podgorica]], Knežević graduated Serbian language and South Slavic literature at the [[Faculty of Philosophy, University of Montenegro|Faculty of Philosophy]] in [[Nikšić]]. He is fluent in Serbian, English and Russian language.<ref>[http://mondo.me/a585588/Info/Crna-Gora/ANKETA-Ko-je-najperspektivniji-politicar-u-Crnoj-Gori.html Ko je najperspektivniji političar u Crnoj Gori?], Mondo</ref>
poems. He was declared the best young poet in 1997 by Radio Montenegro and

the Library "Radosav Ljumović" Podgorica.
On 13 November 2020, it was announced that Knežević had contracted [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Milan Knežević pozitivan na koronu|url=https://m.cdm.me/drustvo/milan-knezevic-pozitivan-na-koronu/|website=CdM|language=en-US}}</ref>
He published six collections of poems and the novel "Obala nesanice". He has
been awarded many times for his rich literary work.
He published his first collection of poems “Deponija snova“ in 2007, and then:
“Avlija bivših” (2011), “Dnevnik sitnih grehova” (2014), “Elektronska identifikacija
birača” (2016), “Nijemi dijalozi” (2017) and “Robijaški refreni” (2020).
He published his first novel "Obala nesanice" in 2021. He moved the plot from
Montenegro and satirically portrayed the political and social reality of the country
where he lives in. The Association of Writers of Serbia awarded him the "Radoje
Domanović" award for the most successful satirical novel published in 2021.
He also worked as a theatre director. He is a member of the Association of
Writers of Montenegro.


===Political life===
===Political life===
He decided to enter political life in the mid-2000s by joining [[Srđan Milić]]'s [[Socialist People's Party of Montenegro|Socialist People's Party]] (SNP), in which he was one of the representatives in the [[parliament of Montenegro]]. Before the [[2012 Montenegrin parliamentary election|2012 parliamentary election]], the right-wing faction of the SNP led by Knežević and their former president [[Predrag Bulatović]] left the party and joined the [[Democratic Front (Montenegro)|Democratic Front]] (DF) alliance independently.<ref>[http://www.vijesti.me/vijesti/milan-knezevic-i-zvanicno-u-frontu-89818 Milan Knežević i zvanično u Frontu], Vijesti</ref>
He founded the Democratic People's Party of Montenegro on 30 November

2014. At the founding assembly, he was elected as the first President.
After the election Knežević remained a representative in the assembly. In November 2015, he was elected President of the newly formed populist [[Democratic People's Party (Montenegro)|Democratic People's Party]] (DNP).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcnen.com/portal/2015/03/21/osnovana-demokratska-narodna-partija/|title=Osnovana Demokratska narodna partija|work=pcnen.com}}</ref>
He got involved in the political life of Montenegro during his student days. Until

2012, he was an active member of the Socialist People's Party (SNP). He was
===Involvement in alleged coup d'état===
elected as a member of the Parliament of Montenegro for the first time in 2009
{{main|2016 Montenegrin coup allegations}}
when he was only 29 years old. In each subsequent election, he managed to win

a parliamentary mandate.
On 15 February 2017, Knežević was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in connection with an ongoing criminal prosecution against him.<ref>[http://www.vijesti.me/vijesti/skupstina-ukinula-imunitet-mandicu-i-knezevicu-924719 Skupština ukinula imunitet Mandiću i Kneževiću] Vijesti</ref> On 8 June 2017, the High Court in Podgorica confirmed the indictment of Milan Knežević, along with thirteen other persons, including two Russian nationals and [[Andrija Mandić]], on charges that included "preparing a conspiracy against the constitutional order and the security of Montenegro" and an "attempted terrorist act."<ref name="rferlcoup">[https://www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-coup-charges-confirmed/28535744.html Montenegrin Court Confirms Charges Against Alleged Coup Plotters] Radio Liberty</ref>
Before the 2012 parliamentary elections, he joined the Democratic Front political

alliance. He participated in the elections within this coalition as the "Group of
On 18 October 2017, Knezevic was sentenced to seven months in prison, for attacking a policeman on 17 October 2015 in front of the Parliament building, during the Democratic Front protests.{{cn|date=February 2024}} After being found guilty, Knezevic said that the verdict was an indicator of trapped state institutions, particularly judicial ones, and announced that he would appeal against the court's judgement.
Voters - Milan Knežević". The Democratic Front won 20 parliamentary mandates.

Two years later, on 30 November 2014, the Democratic People's Party (DPP)
In February 2021, the Montenegrin appellate court overturned the first-instance verdict against Knežević and the other defendants, and ordered a retrial.<ref>[https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/31087966.html Ukinuta presuda za 'državni udar' u Crnoj Gori, DPS tvrdi rezultat pritiska na sud], Slobodna Evropa, February 5, 2021</ref> On July 12, 2024, the High Court in Podgorica acquitted Milan Knežević and all other defendants charged with organizing and preparing the alleged 2016 coup d'état.<ref>[https://rtcg.me/hronika/576622/oslobadjajuca-presuda-za-sve-optuzene-u-slucaju-drzavni-udar.html Oslobađajuća presuda za sve optužene u slučaju "državni udar"], RTCG, July 12, 2024</ref>
was formed, whose President he has been since its foundation until today.

The Democratic People's Party was on the list of the Democratic Front in the
=== Incident at the Airport Podgorica ===
2016 parliamentary elections. They won a total of 18 mandates.
On 7 December 2022, in front of the airport Podgorica main building, Milan Knežević with his bodyguard, first verbally and then physically attacked a man in his twenties who supposedly had previously verbally insulted Milan. Both involved parties agreed not to press charges against each other. Soon after, Milan Knežević made numerous media statements, saying that he had been verbally and physically attacked because he was a Serb and that he intended to arm his family because he and his family didn't feel safe. Soon after the airport released the security video footage of the incident.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6C5O7D0gX0 |title=Incident ispred Aerodroma Podgorica, 7. 12. 2022. |date=2022-12-08 |last=Pobjeda |access-date=2024-05-19 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
MPs from opposition parties started boycotting the Parliament because they

believed that the elections were not held in a fair and democratic atmosphere.
===Persona non grata declaration===
After that, the leaders of the Democratic Front, Milan Knežević and Andrija
On 25 July 2024, Knežević, along with president of Parliament [[Andrija Mandić]] and deputy prime minister [[Aleksa Bečić]] were declared persona non grata by Croatia following the passage of a resolution in the [[Parliament of Montenegro]] recognising a genocide in the [[Jasenovac concentration camp]] committed by the pro-Axis [[Independent State of Croatia]] during World War II.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 July 2024 |title=Croatia declares 3 Montenegrin officials persona non grata over WWII camp genocide statement |url=https://apnews.com/article/croatia-montenegro-russia-persona-non-grata-f1adecb38df7e8140ab391d6139dfd43 |access-date=25 July 2024 |website=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref>
Mandić, were accused of attempting a "coup d'état" on the day of the
parliamentary elections on 16 October 2016.
The Democratic Front led a broad coalition in the parliamentary elections on 30
August 2020. The joint list "For the Future of Montenegro" won 27 parliamentary
mandates out of the 81 that the Parliament has. With the coalitions "Peace is Our
Nation" and "In Black and White", a parliamentary majority was formed, sending
the Democratic Party of Socialists with the leader Milo Đukanović into opposition
after their rule for thirty years.
Knežević was entrusted with the leadership of the Parliamentary Security and
Defence Committee.
In the early parliamentary elections on 11 June 2023, Knežević was the holder of
the "For the Future of Montenegro" list, composed of the Democratic People's
Party, of which he is the leader and the New Serbian Democracy. The coalition
won 13 mandates. He was awarded the fifth consecutive parliamentary mandate.


===The coup d'état case===
== Works ==
;Poetry collections
An attempted "coup d'état" marked the parliamentary elections on 16
* ''Deponija snova'' (2007)<ref name="svetigora">{{Cite web|url=https://svetigora.com/pjesnicka-i-moralna-podrska-milanu-knezevicu/|title=Pjesnička i moralna podrška Milanu Kneževiću • Radio ~ Svetigora ~|date=2017-10-23|website=svetigora.com|language=sr-RS|access-date=2022-02-14}}</ref>
October 2016
* ''Avlija bivših'' (2011)<ref name="svetigora"/>
On the day of the parliamentary elections on 16 October 2016, several citizens of
* ''Dnevnik sitnih grehova'' (2014)<ref name="svetigora"/>
Serbia were arrested. According to the Special Prosecutor's Office indictment, on
* ''Elektronska identifikacija birača'' (2016)<ref name="svetigora"/>
the night of the election, it was "planned to break into the Assembly building, and
* ''Nijemi dijalozi ''(2017)<ref name="svetigora"/>
to arrest and kill the then Prime Minister Milo Đukanović”. (?!)
* ''Robijaški refreni'' (2020)<ref name="#4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.in4s.net/u-cetvrtak-prva-promocija-romana-milana-knezevica-obala-nesanice-srpska-kuca-od-20-casova/|title=U četvrtak prva promocija romana Milana Kneževića "Obala nesanice" - Srpska kuća od 20 časova|last=IN4S|date=2021-07-20|website=IN4S|language=sr-RS|access-date=2021-07-25}}</ref>
In the announcement, it was said that the Russian services were behind the
attempted "coup d'état" because the suspects included Russian citizens who
were unavailable. The news of the arrests echoed in the world media.
The process of arresting the suspects, the investigation and the indictment was
led by the then chief special prosecutor Milivoje Katnić and prosecutor Saša
Čađenović, who was arrested in 2022 by order of the Special State Prosecutor's
Office on suspicion of the criminal offence of creating a criminal organisation.
In mid-2017, Milan Knežević and Andrija Mandić were suspected of being part of
this conspiracy. According to the indictment, in January 2016, they became
members of a group formed by Russian agents on the territory of Serbia,
Montenegro and Russia, intending to violently overthrow the government in
Montenegro. The suspects claimed that the entire process was staged to prohibit
the Democratic Front from operating. They identified the then prime minister Milo
Đukanović as the inspirer.
The trial in the High Court in Podgorica lasted almost two years. In his final
words, Milan Knežević said that neither he nor members of the Democratic Front
prepared or participated in a "coup d'état" or the overthrow of the constitutional
order of Montenegro.
On 9 May 2019, the Higher Court in Podgorica found Knežević and Mandić
"guilty of attempted coup d'état" and sentenced them to five years in prison each.
They publicly announced that they did not agree to go to prison. Knežević said
that "if something happens to them or their families, the culprits will be Milo
Đukanović and his brother Aco Đukanović.".
On 5 February 2021, the Appellate Court of Montenegro annulled the first instance verdict of the High Court, which sentenced thirteen accused of
attempted terrorism, including Knežević, to almost 70 years in prison. In the
explanation, it is stated that the panel of the High Court, headed by Judge
Suzana Mugoša, "made completely wrong conclusions concerning the evidence
that was presented during the trial“.
The "coup d'état" case was returned to the High Court for a retrial before a
completely changed judicial panel. The retrial in the High Court in Podgorica was
postponed several times. Even after almost seven years, there has been no
epilogue to the "coup d'état" process conducted for the alleged attempt to
violently overthrow the government of Milo Đukanović.
The final fall of Milo Đukanović's regime was "sealed" by the people in the
elections in August 2020. Montenegro changed its government for the first time in
democratic elections. Since then, the Democratic Party of Socialists has lost all
elections in Montenegro. Their leader Milo Đukanović experienced a debacle in
the presidential elections on 2 April 2023. Unaccustomed to defeats, he withdrew
from the political scene, resigning from the position of DPS president, which he
held for 25 years.
Victim of political persecution by the former regime
Recognised as one of the fiercest critics of the absolutist government in
Montenegro, personified by Milo Đukanović and the judicial system, he was often
under attack from this autocratic regime. He also received prison sentences and
was under house arrest.
Because of the open fight against numerous deviations in society, crime and
corruption in the government and positions he expressed publicly, his family
members also suffered. His mother was taken into custody in January 2020
because she "obstructed and belittled a police officer" while searching their
family home.
The Basic Court in Podgorica sentenced Knežević to seven months in prison in
October 2017 on the charge that he physically assaulted a police officer during a
protest in front of the Parliament of Montenegro, organised by the Democratic
Front, on 17 October 2015. He stayed in the prison in Spuž since 20 March 2018,
and after an accepted application for parole, he was released after four months.
He fought a new legal battle in the spring of 2020. The Basic Court sentenced
him to house arrest for four months because allegedly, on 15 February 2017, he
"insulted and physically attacked deputies of the Democratic Party of Socialists in
the hall of the Montenegrin Parliament."
Thus, he went down in history as the only deputy who attended the sessions of
the Parliament of Montenegro with an ankle bracelet.


;Novel
==President of the Parliamentary Security Committee==
* ''Obala nesanice'' (2021)<ref name="#4"/>
As the Chairperson of the Parilametary Security and Defence Committee, and a
member of the National Security Council, he showed a high degree of
responsibility and was very active. Responding to current events in the security
sector, he scheduled meetings of the Committee with the assessment, that
Montenegro's security and socio-political context is dramatic and does not inspire
confidence that there is enough capacity for the state to deal with organised
crime and cigarettes and drugs smuggling.
Due to the seriousness of the situation in the security sector caused by the arrest
of high-ranking police officers on the charge of being collaborators of criminal
clans, the Security Committee decided on 13 April 2023 to interrogate the Prime
Minister Dritan Abazović, Minister of Internal Affairs Filip Adžić, Chief Special
Prosecutor Vladimir Novović, Head of the Special Police Department Predrag
Šuković, director of the Police Administration Zoran Brđanin and director of the
National Security Agency, Boris Milić.
As a writer, politician and leader of the Democratic People's Party, he perseveres
on his honourable path of fighting for the identity of Montenegro, with the respect
of all its peoples, as a country for all people of good faith and intention, for the
good of Montenegro.


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 22:24, 1 September 2024

Milan Knežević
Милан Кнежевић
Milan Knežević in January 2020.
Member of Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 March 2009
PresidentRanko Krivokapić
Darko Pajović
Ivan Brajović
Aleksa Bečić
Personal details
Born (1980-03-24) 24 March 1980 (age 44)
Titograd, SFR Yugoslavia
Political partyDemocratic People's Party
(2012-present)
Socialist People's Party
(until 2012)
Alma materUniversity of Montenegro
ProfessionPolitician
NicknamePipun
Not to be confused with Milan Knežević (Serbian politician).

Milan Knežević (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Кнежевић; born 24 March 1980) is a Montenegrin politician and poet. He is the founder and current president of the right-wing Democratic People's Party, a member of presidency of the opposition Democratic Front alliance, current Мember of the Parliament of Montenegro and the President of the Parliamentary Board for Defence and Security.[1][2]

Biography

[edit]

Private life

[edit]

He was born to a Serb family in 1980 in Titograd (Podgorica). Having finished elementary and secondary school in Podgorica, Knežević graduated Serbian language and South Slavic literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Nikšić. He is fluent in Serbian, English and Russian language.[3]

On 13 November 2020, it was announced that Knežević had contracted COVID-19.[4]

Political life

[edit]

He decided to enter political life in the mid-2000s by joining Srđan Milić's Socialist People's Party (SNP), in which he was one of the representatives in the parliament of Montenegro. Before the 2012 parliamentary election, the right-wing faction of the SNP led by Knežević and their former president Predrag Bulatović left the party and joined the Democratic Front (DF) alliance independently.[5]

After the election Knežević remained a representative in the assembly. In November 2015, he was elected President of the newly formed populist Democratic People's Party (DNP).[6]

Involvement in alleged coup d'état

[edit]
Main article: 2016 Montenegrin coup allegations

On 15 February 2017, Knežević was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in connection with an ongoing criminal prosecution against him.[7] On 8 June 2017, the High Court in Podgorica confirmed the indictment of Milan Knežević, along with thirteen other persons, including two Russian nationals and Andrija Mandić, on charges that included "preparing a conspiracy against the constitutional order and the security of Montenegro" and an "attempted terrorist act."[8]

On 18 October 2017, Knezevic was sentenced to seven months in prison, for attacking a policeman on 17 October 2015 in front of the Parliament building, during the Democratic Front protests.[citation needed] After being found guilty, Knezevic said that the verdict was an indicator of trapped state institutions, particularly judicial ones, and announced that he would appeal against the court's judgement.

In February 2021, the Montenegrin appellate court overturned the first-instance verdict against Knežević and the other defendants, and ordered a retrial.[9] On July 12, 2024, the High Court in Podgorica acquitted Milan Knežević and all other defendants charged with organizing and preparing the alleged 2016 coup d'état.[10]

Incident at the Airport Podgorica

[edit]

On 7 December 2022, in front of the airport Podgorica main building, Milan Knežević with his bodyguard, first verbally and then physically attacked a man in his twenties who supposedly had previously verbally insulted Milan. Both involved parties agreed not to press charges against each other. Soon after, Milan Knežević made numerous media statements, saying that he had been verbally and physically attacked because he was a Serb and that he intended to arm his family because he and his family didn't feel safe. Soon after the airport released the security video footage of the incident.[11]

Persona non grata declaration

[edit]

On 25 July 2024, Knežević, along with president of Parliament Andrija Mandić and deputy prime minister Aleksa Bečić were declared persona non grata by Croatia following the passage of a resolution in the Parliament of Montenegro recognising a genocide in the Jasenovac concentration camp committed by the pro-Axis Independent State of Croatia during World War II.[12]

Works

[edit]
Poetry collections
  • Deponija snova (2007)[13]
  • Avlija bivših (2011)[13]
  • Dnevnik sitnih grehova (2014)[13]
  • Elektronska identifikacija birača (2016)[13]
  • Nijemi dijalozi (2017)[13]
  • Robijaški refreni (2020)[14]
Novel
  • Obala nesanice (2021)[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Predsjednik, DNP official web site
  2. ^ "LOŠE VESTI ZA DPS: Milan Knežević dobio važnu funkciju u Crnoj Gori". NOVOSTI (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  3. ^ Ko je najperspektivniji političar u Crnoj Gori?, Mondo
  4. ^ "Milan Knežević pozitivan na koronu". CdM.
  5. ^ Milan Knežević i zvanično u Frontu, Vijesti
  6. ^ "Osnovana Demokratska narodna partija". pcnen.com.
  7. ^ Skupština ukinula imunitet Mandiću i Kneževiću Vijesti
  8. ^ Montenegrin Court Confirms Charges Against Alleged Coup Plotters Radio Liberty
  9. ^ Ukinuta presuda za 'državni udar' u Crnoj Gori, DPS tvrdi rezultat pritiska na sud, Slobodna Evropa, February 5, 2021
  10. ^ Oslobađajuća presuda za sve optužene u slučaju "državni udar", RTCG, July 12, 2024
  11. ^ Pobjeda (2022-12-08). Incident ispred Aerodroma Podgorica, 7. 12. 2022. Retrieved 2024-05-19 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Croatia declares 3 Montenegrin officials persona non grata over WWII camp genocide statement". Associated Press. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Pjesnička i moralna podrška Milanu Kneževiću • Radio ~ Svetigora ~". svetigora.com (in Serbian). 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  14. ^ a b IN4S (2021-07-20). "U četvrtak prva promocija romana Milana Kneževića "Obala nesanice" - Srpska kuća od 20 časova". IN4S (in Serbian). Retrieved 2021-07-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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