Vuković: Janović is trying to intimidate journalists, VDT to drop criminal charges

Civic Movement (GP) MP Milena Vuković called on the Higher State Prosecutor's Office (VDT) to dismiss the criminal complaint filed by the Director of the National Security Agency (ANB) Ivica Janović against journalists from the Center for Investigative Reporting of Montenegro (CIN-CG) Andrea Perišić and Đurđe Radulović, because, as she said, it is an obvious attempt to put pressure on the media and crack down on those who do their job professionally.

Vuković said that filing criminal charges against journalists who investigated topics of public interest represents a brutal and unprecedented attempt to suppress media freedom, freedom of speech and the right of citizens to be informed.

"This is undoubtedly a direct attack on two journalists who are doing their job professionally, responsibly and in the public interest. It is particularly worrying that such an attack comes from one of the highest addresses in the state's security sector. Instead of protecting democratic standards and the public's right to the truth, the director of the ANB is trying to intimidate journalists and send a message to all media workers that they will be targeted if they investigate topics of public interest," she stated.

She pointed out that it is particularly problematic that Janović, instead of responding to the serious allegations published by CIN-CG, is trying to redirect public attention to those who published the information.

"Such behavior is unbecoming of the head of one of the most important state institutions. Instead of answering questions that interest the public, we are witnessing an attempt to intimidate the media," said the MP GP URA.

She called on the competent institutions to conduct detailed oversight of the work of the ANB, especially in the part related to allegations about personnel policy and monitoring of employees in that institution, which were presented in CIN-CG's research.

"Instead of persecuting journalists, it is necessary to investigate the allegations that have disturbed the public and determine whether there was abuse within the system, when it comes to personnel policy, but also the secret monitoring of ANB employees," Vuković stressed.

As she said, with this move, the director of ANB has once again shown that he is not up to the task he is performing.

"By trying to deal with journalists using methods of pressure and intimidation, Janović is showing that he wants to apply the same governance model used by his predecessors. Such methods are characteristic of totalitarian societies, not of a state that wants to be the next member of the European Union. Free media are the foundation of every democratic society, and without them there is no progress and protection of the public interest," Vuković concluded.