Unresolved attacks on journalists, political interference in the Public Service, dirty campaigns by pro-government tabloids, as well as unfair treatment and economic pressure by government ministries and agencies against independent and pro-opposition media remain a significant problem, states the State Department report for Montenegro for 2020.
"The independent media were active and generally expressed a wide range of political and social views, including through articles and broadcasts that were critical of the authorities," the document states.
The document adds that the Center for Civic Education (CEO) has pointed to selective and non-transparent public funding through advertising in each of its annual reports since 2012.
In this part, it is also stated that the independent newspaper and Television Vijesti continue to attribute their difficulties to "unfair media conditions, economic pressure from the Government and selective justice".
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The section on violence in this section states that unsolved attacks from previous years and an atmosphere of intimidation against media critical of the government "continue to be a serious problem".
It is reported that there was no progress in resolving the attack in which journalist Olivera Lakić was wounded in 2018, and that in June the Basic Court in Podgorica rejected the indictment against the alleged mastermind of the attack on the property of "Vijesti" because the prosecution did not provide enough evidence.
The document of the State Department also mentions the attack on the journalist of the newspaper "Dan" Vladimir Otašević, but that the involved official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not being prosecuted for a misdemeanor, but for a misdemeanor.
"Media outlets reported that more than two-thirds of the 85 attacks on journalists since 2004 remain unsolved or have not resulted in verdicts. Observers also noted that the target of most attacks are independent or pro-opposition journalists and media professionals," the document reads.
In the part of the document that refers to censorship in the media, they state that the Assembly illegally dismissed members of the RTCG Council, but also that these dismissals were followed by the dismissal of the general director of the RTCG and the directors of the RTCG Andrijana Kadija and Vladan Mićunović.
The State Department also recalls the findings of the European Commission, which previously noted that no progress has been made in the area of freedom of expression. They particularly emphasized the part in which it is stated that they additionally distributed misinformation to the society after the adoption of the Law on Freedom of Religion and during the election campaign.
"Some media houses continued to show a willingness to criticize the government. Lack of training and unprofessional journalistic behavior, combined with low wages and political pressure, contribute to self-censorship and biased reporting of events," Washington's findings state.
The report also mentions the verdict against the journalist Jov Martinović, but also the case against "Monitor" in the dispute with the sister of the President of the Republic Milo Đukanović. It is also added that several laws were passed during that period, including the Media Act. It is recalled that the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro announced that the foreseen restrictions could harm investigative journalism and discourage potential journalistic sources from speaking to the media.
In the part concerning freedom of speech, it is stated that due to tensions and litany of believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church, after the adoption of the Law on Freedom of Religion, the authorities deprived freedom and fined journalists, political activists and citizens for posting disinformation or offensive comments against government officials on social media. to the media.
While the EC and Reporters Without Borders expressed concern about the arrests of journalists for spreading disinformation, some government officials said they were necessary to respond to attempts by domestic and foreign actors to destabilize the country.
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