Competent prosecutor's offices and the Police Directorate should determine whether and who is responsible due to the fact that cases of attacks on journalists are out of date Mladen Stojović i Milovan Novović, but also misdemeanor proceedings against journalists Vladimir Otašević.
This is one of the main recommendations from the semi-annual report on the work of the Commission for monitoring the actions of competent authorities in investigations of cases of threats and violence against journalists, murder of journalists and attacks on media property, for the period from December 5, 2022 to June 23 this year.
It was also recommended that all investigations into attacks on journalists that take a long time or are ineffective should be reviewed, including the investigation into the murder of editor-in-chief Dan Duško Jovanović, use all legal possibilities and determine responsibility for the delay and ineffectiveness of the procedures.
Commission, of which he is the president Mihailo Jovovic, in the report states that the last 12 years have seen an increase in the number of attacks on journalists and the media during heightened tensions in society.
"The first jump in the number of registered attacks occurred in 2015, from seven and nine in 2013 and 2014 respectively to 18 attacks that year... Punishment for the perpetrators was often absent. Also, the perpetrators were sentenced to a total of 13 months in prison for eight acts that were treated as criminal in 2011 and 2012. From 2014 to 2021, five perpetrators were sentenced to prison for three crimes of attacking journalists. Out of 18 registered and variously processed attacks in 2015, eight were treated as criminal offenses. No one was sanctioned with a prison sentence," the report states.
The commission also found that there was a drastic increase in the number of attacks on journalists in 2021 and 2022.
"In the previous three years, there were a total of 17, and in 2021, 28 attacks on journalists and the media, of which nine were treated as criminal offenses, the most in any year. In the following year, 23 attacks were registered, of which four were treated as criminal offenses. The average number of attacks in these two years corresponds only to the number of crimes against journalists in 2011 and 2015".
The commission recommended the Police Directorate to initiate a regular review of the security of the most vulnerable journalists and media in cooperation with other competent state bodies.
According to the report, 22 journalists and media workers were attacked more than once. The commission states that the most, six attacks each, were committed against female journalists Oliver Lakic i Jelena Jovanović and journalists Sead Sadiković, while they Gojko Raicevic i Nebojša Šofranac attacked three times each.
The most registered attacks were on journalists and property of Vijesti (40), Dana (16), RTCG (11), TV Vijesti (9) and Pobjede (8).
"It is noticeable that in recent years the number of attacks on journalists and media properties has increased, which were not attacked before or not so often. (RTCG, Pobjeda, Gradska TV - started operating in September 2021, Antena M, Standard)", the document says.
In the report, the commission noted that the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office (SVP) had not commented on the recommendations from its December report, including those on the investigation into the murder of Duško Jovanović, by the end of the reporting period.
"The Commission believes that in the event of an attack on Sead Sadiković in March 2021, the exempted DVR device should be sent to the Forensic Center for expert examination with a recommendation to the Prosecutor's Office that, as the police previously requested, the reasons why the recording is missing in the specified time and to determine whether any of the persons who have access to the video-surveillance system intentionally deleted or edited parts of the video," the report says.
The Commission recommended the VDT to collect data on cases of attacks on journalists and media that are not in the prosecution's table, which the Commission has in its records, and include them in its table during the next update. It was also requested that during the next update of the table of attacks on journalists and the media, all missing data should be entered, such as the dates of the attacks, submission of indictments/requests for initiation of misdemeanor proceedings, final statements/notifications of the prosecutors...
Abazović: Full support for investigative journalists
Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic at yesterday's Government session, and during the consideration of the Commission's report, said that the atmosphere in Montenegro is not perfect when it comes to media freedom, but that "it is getting better and better".
"In connection with old cases, specifically in connection with the murder of Duško Jovanović, some persons were questioned, we will also ask for international help," he said.
Commenting on the fact that the media broadcast Sky correspondence, he said that he "stands in defense of investigative journalists and their right to do their work in the context of protecting the public interest".
"And when it comes to journalist Olivera Lakić and "Vijesti" journalist Jelena Jovanović. The fact that some media bullies, and because of their criminal connections, forcefully push people and politicians and journalists into one or another criminal group, and that they do it for someone other than the public interest, is unacceptable for the Government. We provide full support to investigative journalists to protect the public interest," Abazović said.
Deputy President of the Commission, Minister Zoran Miljanic he said that there have been no serious attacks on journalists in the last six months. He appealed to the VDT and competent prosecutor's offices to take all measures to ensure that all cases receive a legal conclusion.
In the report, the Commission stated that the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office (SVP) had not commented on the recommendations from its December report, including those on the investigation into the murder of Duško Jovanović, by the end of the reporting period.
Kosović: The campaign threatens the safety of "Vijesti" journalists
Although we at "Vijesti" are used to, and have even Googled, dirty campaigns, the continuity of attempts to discredit our journalist Jelena Jovanović and the entire editorial office goes in the direction of endangering the safety of journalists and editors, the editor-in-chief of "Vijesti" assessed. Hearty Kosovic.
He said that by targeting the safety of Jovanović and her colleagues, the safety of Jovanović and her colleagues is directly threatened and that everyone who lightly tries to criminalize journalists should think about it.
"The news has no problem with questioning our work in the context of respecting professional standards, but this is about a clear intention to try to intimidate and silence us for the sake of the interests of the powerful and still untouchable," pointed out Kosović.
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