Back Montenegro publishes Guidelines on Victims’ Right to Compensation

Podgorica 26 February 2026
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Montenegro publishes Guidelines on Victims’ Right to Compensation

The Guidelines for exercising the right to compensation to victims in criminal proceedings (for criminal cases of trafficking in human beings, domestic violence, war crimes, and other criminal cases) have been published and made available to both professional stakeholders and the general public.

The document is primarily intended for judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other participants in criminal proceedings, with the aim of improving judicial practice where victims seek compensation within criminal cases. In practice, the right to compensation has often been the weakest element of the victim protection system. These Guidelines help bridge the gap between the normative framework and effective enforcement, contributing to the realization of compensation as a genuinely enforceable right.

As such, the Guidelines represent an important step toward harmonising judicial practice and strengthening the protection of victims’ rights, ensuring effective, timely, and fair compensation in criminal proceedings, in line with domestic legislation and international standards.

Further support will be provided, in close cooperation with UNODC, to ensure the effective implementation of the Guidelines through capacity-building activities and increased awareness among legal professionals.

The Guidelines were developed with expert and financial support from the action “Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims’ rights in Montenegro,” as well as with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

 

 

Horizontal Facility III

The joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” (Horizontal Facility III) is a co-operation initiative, running from 2023 until 2026. The programme covers actions in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. It enables the Beneficiaries to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.

The envelope of this facility amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the EU, 15% by the CoE).

Find out more about the Horizontal Facility III programme >>

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.