Šmelcer: Some media are running a campaign against critics of the government

The European Union will monitor how Montenegro fulfills the conditions set before it within the framework of negotiation chapters 23 and 24, and one of the most significant is the freedom of the media and speech, said the representative of the EU Delegation in Montenegro Patrik Šmelcer during the discussion "Media as mirror of society", which was organized in Podgorica by the Center for Civic Education (CGO).

Šmelcer recalled the recently published EC Report on the progress of Montenegro for 2014, which refers to the media, in which concern was repeated about the lack of coverage of attacks on journalists and media property.

According to him, older cases of attacks on the media must be updated and properly investigated, with a judicial epilogue.

"Polarization among the media is clearly visible. Some media are campaigning against colleagues from other media and individuals from the civil sector who dare to criticize what is wrong. Freedom of speech must not be understood as freedom of hate speech," said Šmelcer.

He said that no one can be satisfied with the situation in the Montenegrin media: "Neither those who work in the media, nor the institutions of the state".

The EU, he says, expects Montenegro to create a climate in which journalists cannot be threatened.

"In order for Montenegro to progress in the negotiations for chapters 23 and 24, we in the EU must be convinced that Montenegro ensures freedom of media and speech. We will monitor what the institutions are doing in this area and look for measurable results. We are ready to support the Montenegrin institutions to fulfill these obligations ", he said.

Schmelcer also promised help to the media: "Come to us, tell us all your problems and all unresolved cases, we are ready to listen to you and include it in the negotiation framework".

The President of the Commission for Monitoring the Actions of the Competent Authorities in Investigations in Cases of Violence Against Journalists and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of "Dana" Nikola Marković warned that two-thirds of cases of attacks on journalists did not receive a judicial epilogue.

"Including the murder of Duško Jovanović, the beating of "Vijesti" and "Monitor" journalist Tufik Softić. A negative environment for the work of journalists is created by the top of the government, primarily Prime Minister Milo Đukanović. Until this is resolved, we cannot talk about full media freedom in Montenegro It's burning," says Marković.

The director of the independent daily "Vijesti" Željko Ivanović drew a parallel when it comes to the situation in the media with the nineties of the last century, stressing that the media, which then called for war, today defend the regime.

"Even the EU ambassador in Montenegro is targeted by those media as an enemy of the state. Then what can we say about the position of journalists in Montenegro," Ivanović asked.

Journalist "Vijesti" Tufik Softić said that it is necessary to examine the connection of parts of criminal groups with the police, security services and the top of the government.

"The fact that the first attack was the attack on me in 2007 was reclassified after six years, and that although I told the police that I received threats from two criminal groups from the north, no one investigated one of them for so many years, speaks of this connection. And I note that the Beran branch of Darko Šarić's criminal group was not investigated," he claims.

Liberal Party MP Andrija Popović said that one logical explanation is the combination of criminal groups and the authorities. According to him, in small Montenegro it is easy to find out who are the representatives of crime in conjunction with the police.

"Journalists should have official status and be protected like white bears," added Popović.

The director of the CGO Daliborka Uljarević believes that a journalist's call in Montenegro is dangerous "if you are from the media from which there is pronounced and open criticism of the ruling structures".

"Reporting on nepotism, related politics and crime and deliberately highlighting the existence of corruption at a high level made many powerful people nervous. The immutability of power in democratic elections makes the whole story even more difficult," said Uljarević.

Commenting on the fact that despite numerous promises, the Government did not send its representatives to the discussion, Uljarević said that one of them "said what was inferred" in the conversation with the CGO:

"That he doesn't want hot potatoes, which are thrown into his hands," she added.

The representative of the Media Council for Self-Regulation (MSS) Gordana Borović announced that the body recently met with representatives of the OSCE and media that are not members of the MSS (Vijesti, Monitor, Dan) in Vienna.

"An agreement was reached to jointly start working on the new Code of Ethics," she said.