Montenegro
Kotor: four Albanian pupils detained over the eagle gesture released without penalty, heading back to Albania
Albania’s embassy in Montenegro says the minors were detained on Oct. 31 after a verbal dispute with a Montenegrin woman and were released after a court hearing.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
November 1, 2026, 15:00 · Updated 19:04 · 1 min read
In brief
- Four underage Albanian pupils detained on Oct. 31 in Kotor were released without penalty.
- The detention followed a verbal dispute with a Montenegrin woman after the pupils made the double-headed eagle sign with their hands.
- According to Montenegrin authorities, the minors were provided with a lawyer, an interpreter and a psychologist.
The four underage Albanian pupils detained on Saturday in Kotor have been released without penalty after a court hearing and are on their way back to Albania, Albania’s embassy in Montenegro said on Sunday in a social media post.
The eagle sign
According to information received by the embassy, the detention followed a verbal dispute with a Montenegrin woman after the pupils had made the double-headed eagle symbol with their hands. The announcement gave no details about the charge the minors faced in court or about the school they came from.
The embassy said its representative stayed with the pupils from the moment it learned of the incident until the procedures ended and they left for home, providing consular assistance. Throughout, according to the statement, it remained in constant contact with the Montenegrin authorities, the families and the teachers.
The minors’ rights
According to the Montenegrin authorities, the minors’ rights were respected throughout the procedures and they were provided with a lawyer, an interpreter and a psychologist. The embassy praised the cooperation of the Montenegrin side and said it remains committed to protecting the rights and interests of Albanian citizens.
The double-headed eagle gesture, which imitates the symbol on the Albanian flag, has at times drawn reactions and proceedings in countries of the region, especially during sporting events. In 2018, FIFA fined Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri after they celebrated their goals against Serbia at the World Cup with the gesture.
