Cicmil on the detention at Belgrade Airport: None of the passengers appeared problematic enough to warrant additional screening

Around 30 Montenegrin citizens were detained last night at Belgrade Airport after disembarking from a flight from Podgorica shortly after midnight, following several hours of delay. Among them was Dušan Cicmil, editor of the Vijesti news portal, who told N1 Belgrade that „none of the passengers appeared problematic enough to justify the unusual checks carried out upon arrival“.

- Our flight was delayed due to bad weather, and we did not take off until after midnight. Montenegrin citizens were being taken to a separate room for border control without any explanation. Information was provided only sporadically, if a police officer happened to approach someone. They simply said it was a check, nothing more - Cicmil said.

According to him, his newsroom immediately advised him to contact attorney Miroje Jovanović, who had also been on the flight.

- The lawyer was informed of the situation and contacted. He said his arrival had already been announced, and he was told he would be granted access. He then got in touch with the authorities. He called the duty prosecutor to ask why we had been detained and what was happening, but about ten minutes later they began returning our documents and letting us go - Cicmil added.

He also described the procedure itself.

- They literally escorted us into a room. I am not sure what exactly they intended, whether they expected us to remain there for some time or something else. There were also other Montenegrin citizens in that room who had travelled from Barcelona. However, only men were being escorted there - Cicmil said.

He added that the passengers never received an explanation for the detention.

- No explanation was given to us. Even after my contact with the lawyer, we were not told anything. They simply returned our documents - Cicmil stated.

According to him, the detained passengers spent approximately 40 minutes at the airport, including the time spent undergoing checks.

Asked whether the detention could be related to the events that took place in Tivat the previous day, Cicmil replied: „Probably“.

- It probably has some connection, I assume, but none of the people on the aircraft appeared problematic enough to require additional screening - Cicmil stressed.

N1's editorial team has sent an inquiry to Serbia’s Ministry of the Interior requesting confirmation of these allegations and an explanation as to why Montenegrin citizens were detained at Belgrade Airport. A response is still pending.