Acting Director of the Police Directorate (UP), Lazar Šćepanović, announced today that he has requested a detailed analysis of the assessment of the existence of a misdemeanor in the case of the report filed against journalist and columnist Brano Mandić.
"Within this framework, previous comparative practice in these and similar situations will be reviewed, and we will inform the public about its results in a timely manner," said Šćepanović.
"After carefully considering the case of journalist and publicist Brano Mandić, against whom the Podgorica Security Department previously filed a request to initiate misdemeanor proceedings, and based on the report filed on November 28.11.2024, XNUMX through the attorney, university professor Aleksandar Stamatović, due to the published column and the alleged insults in its content, I have asked police officers (lawyers) who deal with misdemeanors to unequivocally determine all the circumstances of the merits of submitting a request to initiate misdemeanor proceedings, on the one hand, and in order to establish a balance between freedom of expression and protection of reputation on the other hand, and solely guided by the overriding public interest," said Šćepanović.
He said that the report against Mandić was filed at a time when he was not at the head of the Police Directorate, and that he was not informed about the filing of the report.
He added that he took into account the fact that Mandić published the column in order to protect the dignity of his wife and his fellow journalist.
"Misdemeanor liability is ultimately assessed by the regional misdemeanor authority - the Court. Due to the great public interest and to prevent different interpretations and possible interpretations that would be contrary to the principles of the functioning of the Police Directorate, the heads of all organizational units of the Police Directorate have been ordered to apply without delay the principles of legality, proportionality, transparency, objectivity and protection of the public interest, as well as generally accepted principles of media discourse guaranteed by international law and conventions, in all actions involving media workers," Šćepanović stated.
"Police Directorate officers will treat all events in which the police assess the justification of the request with special attention and sensitivity, which relate to increased criticism of persons who are obliged to endure greater public pressure, or understanding the use of specific techniques and styles of journalistic expression when commenting on society," he said.
On March 7, Mandić informed the public that the Police Directorate had initiated proceedings against him before the Minor Offences Court in Podgorica due to allegations from a column in which he criticized a public speech by University of Montenegro professor Aleksandar Stamatović.
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