A political scandal involving explicit video recordings has shaken Montenegro, leading to the resignations of two senior officials and prompting allegations of abuse of power and political pressure.
Mirjana Pajković, director of the Directorate for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms at Montenegro’s Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, resigned last week after explicit videos allegedly involving her circulated online. Days earlier, Dejan Vukšić, former head of the National Security Agency (ANB) and a former adviser to President Jakov Milatović, had stepped down from his position following criminal complaints filed against him by Pajković.
Pajković said the recordings were not made for public distribution and denied that the case was politically motivated, stating that she is not a member of any political party.
The affair has dominated public debate in Montenegro, with extensive media coverage and widespread public reaction.
“This is one of the biggest scandals the Montenegrin public remembers,” journalist Božo Dobriša said in an interview broadcast on Kurir television. “The level of media interest is unprecedented. People are shocked by the image this sends about Montenegro, but many still do not know what actually happened.”
Dobriša said that one of the two individuals involved must have leaked the material, adding that both held senior public positions and had families.
“They are serious people who had nothing to gain in terms of popularity. Now other senior officials are worried their private information could also emerge,” he said.
Pajković, previously little known to the public, said she sought institutional protection, including from the president’s office, but received no response.
She is currently involved in court proceedings and has described the public reaction as deeply traumatic.
“The worst moment was when I realised I had lost control of the situation and that the videos had reached the public,” Pajković said. “The violence directed at me spread to people close to me. The most disturbing part was reading the comments.”
She said the backlash affected both her professional standing and her private life, including her role as a mother.
“I lost the title of mother in the eyes of many. That hurt the most,” she said. “No one should ever judge someone’s parenthood in this way.”
In earlier public statements, Pajković accused Vukšić of threatening her while he was still a senior security official, alleging that he warned she would have “no place or life in Montenegro” if she did not comply with his demands. Vukšić has not publicly responded to the accusations.
Montenegrin authorities have not yet announced the outcome of any investigations related to the case.