Non-governmental organizations that supported the candidacy of Dragoljub Vuković for a member of the Council of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services sent initiatives today to the President of the Parliament Andrija Mandić and the Minister of Culture and Media Tamara Vujović, asking them, in accordance with their competences, to contribute to the lawful implementation of media laws and protect the process of appointing members of the Council of the Agency for AVM Services from political and legal manipulations, according to a joint statement submitted by the Media Center.
They say that the latest decision of the Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro, which declares the documentation of NGOs and CANU incomplete, is legally unfounded and sets a dangerous precedent, that all documents have been duly signed by authorized persons, and that neither the Law nor the public call require additional internal decisions by the governing bodies.
"We also point out that the same legal procedure was applied when electing members of the Council of the City RTV Podgorica, without any challenges to its validity, although identical forms and documentation were used in both cases," the statement said.
They said such a "selective approach" opens up space for legal uncertainty and political voluntarism, but also threatens to jeopardize the implementation of European standards in this area.
"We call on the President of the Parliament and the Minister of Culture and Media to submit clarifications and opinions to the Administrative Committee without delay, thereby preventing further abuse of the legal process and ensuring the implementation of the applicable media laws adopted by the Parliament within the framework of the so-called IBAR law. This is not a technical issue, but a deeply political one and of crucial importance for the independence of media institutions and the rule of law in Montenegro, which is why we will continue to inform the public, as well as relevant organizations, including the EU Delegation to Montenegro, which has already reacted to these non-transparent attempts to obstruct media laws," reads a joint statement signed by:
Goran Đurović, Media Center; Olivera Nikolić, Media Institute of Montenegro (IMCG); Daliborka Uljarević, Center for Civic Education (CCE); Milka Tadić Mijović, Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN-CG); Mila Radulović, Association of Professional Journalists of Montenegro; Mustafa Canka, NGO "Ul Info"; Zdravko Janjušević, Bijelo Polje Democratic Center; Željko Đukić, NGO Multimedia Montenegro; Nataša Nelević, NOVA - Center for Feminist Culture; Azra Hrapović, NGO Đakomo Adriatic; Boris Nedović, NGO Center of the North; Radomir Petrić, NGO Sua Sponte Bar.
Bonus video:
