The police have not yet revealed who shot Olivera Lakić, the "Vijesti" journalist, but they claim that they are doing everything to do so.
The Police Directorate unofficially informed "Vijesta" that due to the wounding of the journalist Lakić, they interviewed dozens of people who have a criminal past.
Ivan Bušković, who was convicted of beating journalist Lakić in 2012, gave a statement before the inspectors of the Department for Blood Crimes. The inspectors also interrogated several of his friends, who, during the court proceedings for the attack on Lakić, tried to provide an alibi for Bušković with false testimony.
A source from the investigation told "Vijesta" that none of them were detained after the hearing, but that they were checking their alibi.
In addition, yesterday, the police reviewed footage from surveillance cameras taken from the part of the city where Lakić lives. In order to determine whether the assailant had helpers who followed the journalist and possibly informed him when she left the newsroom for home, the police will review surveillance camera footage from the city center.
Yesterday, the inspectors came to the "Vijesti" newsroom to talk about the wounded journalist, but they were directed to the editor-in-chief, Mihail Jovović.
Olivera Lakić was wounded on May 8 around 21:XNUMX p.m., in front of the entrance to the building where she lives, on Bulevar Svetog Petar Cetinjski in Podgorica. After she got out of the car and headed for the entrance, a man approached her and shot her in the right leg.
Yesterday, Lakić was discharged from the Clinical Center for home treatment.
Three nights ago, she was wounded in the same place where she was beaten on March 7, 2012.
Because of that attack, Ivan Bušković was sentenced to nine months in prison, but he did not stay behind bars that long. According to the amnesty law, his sentence was reduced by a quarter, and after that he received a prison term, according to which his prison term was reduced by an additional 10 days.
Due to false testimony, two court proceedings were conducted against his friends. Five of Bušković's witnesses were sentenced to three months in prison each in 2015 in the Podgorica Basic Court. They were convicted, because evidence was collected that the so-called The "football players" falsely claimed in court that, at the time of the attack on the journalist, Bušković was playing soccer with them in the "Kneževića" hall in the Zelenika neighborhood.
Two years later, eight more of his "football players" were convicted of false testimony.
Since February 2011, Lakić has been the target of harassment and threats, and later of physical attack.
The threats and attacks began after a series of her texts about the "Tara" tobacco factory in Mojkovac and cigarette smuggling.
The police are looking for a motive in her texts this time as well. In January, February and April, Lakić wrote again about cigarette smuggling. Recently, she also investigated the inaction of the judicial authorities during the court proceedings against Rožajec Safet Kalić, she disclosed that the prosecutor Gruj Radonjić is suspected by the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) of having committed the criminal offense of green theft. She also reported on the actions of police officer Igor Živković, who was working on the application form of the Special Police Team (SPO) and allegedly informed Radonjić who was coming to their premises while the investigation against him was ongoing for suspicion of money laundering. Lakić also wrote about threats to the special prosecutor Saša Čađenović, but also about the claims of the secretary of the National Security Council (NSB), Veselin Veljović, who accused unidentified states of the region of waging a special war against Montenegro...
Politicians should not create a hostile environment for the media
Politicians and officials should not create a hostile environment for the media through their statements and activities, they must show a greater level of tolerance for critical journalism and support diversity of expression and opinion in society.
This is written in yesterday's conclusion of the OSCE conference for Southeast Europe in Struga, in which the wounding of "Vijesti" journalist Olivera Lakić was condemned.
"We are sending a strong message of support and solidarity to Olivera Lakić, an employee of 'Vijesti', and to all journalists and media workers who face attacks, threats and intimidation in Montenegro and Southeast Europe," the conference concludes.
The conference said that they believe that all "state and non-state actors" should recognize that any attack on journalists not only violates the rights of that journalist, but also undermines the "public's right to know". They pointed out that the attack on Lakić was not an isolated incident:
"Ms. Lakić received terrible threats in 2011, she was beaten six years ago, and there were 25 more attacks and threats directed at journalists and employees of 'Vijesti', as well as property since 2007."
They called on all Montenegrin state authorities to ensure an independent, efficient and quick investigation into the wounding of Lakić and to bring the perpetrators of the crime, including the instigators, to justice:
"We underline that many journalists and media workers throughout the region of Southeast Europe regularly face attacks, including physical and online threats and intimidation. However, impunity has become too common and too many perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers in the region have never been brought to justice".
Pažin: Someone must be held accountable, journalistic focus is particularly important for the investigation
Minister of Justice Zoran Pažin said last night that the journalistic focus of Olivera Lakić is of particular importance for the investigation of the wounding.
In a guest appearance on TV Vijesti, in the program "Nachisto", Pažin said that he believes that the case will be clarified to the end and that he hopes that the forensic examinations will direct the investigation in the direction of a solution:
"No possibility has been eliminated, but the investigation is not going in the direction of private settlements. Of special importance for the investigation is the journalistic focus on Lakić".
Pažin said that he agrees with the director of Vijesti, Željko Ivanović, that it is crucial to shed light on the case completely, which means finding the perpetrators.
"I am not one of those who accept the answer that no one is responsible. If no one's responsibility can be established, then the one who claims no responsibility is responsible," Pažin said.
Ivanovic said that they tried to kill Olivera Lakic because the case from 2011 and 2012 was not solved.
He pointed out that all the judges and prosecutors who were involved in cases of attacks on journalists made progress despite the lack of results.
He also said that Đukanović's assessment that "Vijesti" is a fascist media "only because they write about his son's dealings with the Government" is very sinister.
Pažin said that he believes that apart from Lakić and her family, the attack on her is the most damaging to the Government of Montenegro and Milo Đukanović, "against whom the baseless accusations were made".
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