The US State Department today called on the Montenegrin authorities to investigate the attack on the journalist of the Pobjeda daily, Ana Raičković.
"The US government condemns threats, harassment and violence against journalists and media workers. No member of the media should be intimidated, attacked or threatened for simply doing their job. We call on the Montenegrin authorities to investigate this incident." it is stated in the response of the spokesperson of the State Department to the request of the Voice of America for a comment on the attack on the Montenegrin journalist.
Raičković, editor of the black chronicle in the daily Pobjeda, and members of her family were verbally and physically attacked on Sunday evening in front of a restaurant in Podgorica. Raičković suffered physical injuries in the attack.
Businessman Zoran Ćoćo Bećirović, his son Luka Bećirović and Zoran Bećirović's bodyguards, Mladen Mijatović and Ljubo Dukić, are suspected of the attack on Raičković.
After their arrest and interrogation at the prosecutor's office, the four were detained for up to 72 hours, and today the Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) in Podgorica submitted a proposal to the Basic Court in Podgorica to order the detention of Zoran Bećirović, Mladen Mijatović and Ljub Dukić.
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International media organizations condemned the "brutal" attack on Raickovic and said that the Montenegrin authorities must ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in New York, announced that it was alarmed by the physical attack on the Montenegrin journalist.
"It is encouraging that the authorities in Montenegro have taken action. Now they must ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable. It is completely unacceptable to threaten or attack journalists because of their reporting. The authorities must send a clear message that violence against journalists will not be tolerated," it said. from the committee on the social network Iks.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the attack on Raickovic.
Pavol Salaj from that organization stated in his reaction to the Voice of America that it was a "rare case of violence in Europe".
Salaj reminded that in recent years, according to the RSF index, media freedom in Montenegro has improved and that, according to the 2024 report, it was ranked 40th out of 180 countries, but that the attack on Raičković shows how fragile this progress is.
"This is the moment for the authorities to show that the safety of journalists is their priority. It is particularly worrying that an active-duty employee of the Ministry of the Interior is allegedly among the attackers. We call on law enforcement and judicial authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable, including through disciplinary action where appropriate applicable. The police must consider measures to protect Ana Raičković and her family, in a conversation with the journalist," said Salaj, head of the European Union and Western Balkans desk at Reporters Without Borders.
On the occasion of the attack on Raičković and members of her family, the American organization "Coalition for Women in Journalism" also announced, with the message that "such a level of violence deserves the harshest condemnation" (deplorable) and that the attackers must be brought to justice.
"We congratulate the Montenegrin police for the quick arrest and call for full responsibility. We wish Ana a speedy recovery and demand immediate criminal prosecution of those responsible for the attack," said the organization, based in New York, on IX.
Ana Raičković told Pobjeda that at first, without any reason, she was the target of insults and threats from the suspects and that this escalated into a physical attack during which "Mijatović held her by the neck" and "Bećirović grabbed her hair and beat her head against vehicle door". She suffered injuries to her neck, head and hands.
The suspects physically attacked her son and fiance, who came to defend her, while Bećirović broke the windows of her car.
Among others, the attack was condemned by the highest Montenegrin officials, the ambassador of the European Union in Montenegro, the media union and other media organizations. According to the union's data, this is the 18th incident registered by the organization in 2024.
Zoran Bećirović is a Montenegrin businessman who owns several elite hotels in Kolašin and the coast. According to Radio Free Europe (RSE), this is not the first confrontation between suspects Bećirović and Mijatović with journalists.
In 2019, they attacked journalist Vladimir Otašević, who was filming them in a shopping center in Podgorica. Bećirović was then in the company of Miloš Šoškić, who is now a special prosecutor, writes RSE.
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