Reporters Without Borders (RSF) once again welcomed the acquittal of journalist Jov Martinović, and called the decision of the Court of Appeal of Montenegro a decisive victory for media freedom.
"We also call on the Supreme Court to support this first victory of investigative journalism in Montenegro," said Pavol Salaj, head of the "Reporters without Borders European Union - Balkans" department.
He added that they are proud to have supported this brilliant and principled journalist.
"And we will continue to advocate for his final acquittal and to work for greater respect for media freedom in his country," said Salaj.
On January 17 of this year, in the Court of Appeal of Montenegro, Martinović was acquitted of drug smuggling charges. He was accused of drug trafficking due to contacts with a member of a criminal group, while working on a documentary for the French production company CAPA. After a seven-year judicial nightmare, which included 15 months in pre-trial detention, Martinović was finally acquitted, RSF explains.
"I hope that the positive outcome of this case will have a wider impact on media freedom in Montenegro and that journalists will not be automatically treated as suspects if they investigate organized crime or high-level corruption," Martinović told RFS.
Reporters Without Borders states that the verdict Martinović received on January 27 is very clear...
"In addition to the lack of evidence, all witnesses confirmed the defense of the accused (Jov Martinović) that the sole purpose of the incriminated meeting was to work on the mentioned documentary film, and work on the film was the reason why the cooperating witness, as he himself stated, was in frequent communication with the accused ".
Martinovic's seven-year legal ordeal began in 2015 when he and his two sources were part of a group of 17 people arrested in an international operation against organized crime.
Winner of the "Reporters without Borders" award named "Peter Makler" for brave and ethical journalism in 2018, Martinović always insisted that he contacted criminal groups solely to gather information for the purpose of reporting in the public interest.
"This case took a lot of my time and strained my resources and ability to work freely," added Martinović.
"Reporters Without Borders" also stated that they were convinced of his innocence from the beginning and always demanded his release. They also drew international attention to the lack of judicial independence in Montenegro and the incompatibility of the harassment of journalists with the country's ambition to join the European Union.
"Reporters" conclude that Montenegro is ranked 63rd out of 180 countries in the RSF World Media Freedom Index for 2022.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
