The Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro condemned the case of harassment and threats against journalist Magdalena Čelanović, stating that such actions deepen the atmosphere of fear and can influence self-censorship.
The Ombudsman institution said they were concerned about the frequent online targeting of women from the Montenegrin public scene.
"The Ombudsman for Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro condemns the latest case of harassment and threats directed at City Television journalist Magdalena Čelanović, which demonstrated an extremely offensive, sexist and discriminatory narrative," the statement said.
It is added that such behavior by doctors is not only unacceptable on a personal and professional level, but also constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights, including the right to dignity, security and freedom of expression.
"And such primitive attacks on women's dignity have no justification," the Ombudsman's statement states.
As it is pointed out, such messages negatively affect other women and may discourage them from actively participating in public life.
"Because they risk being exposed to misogynistic and sexist insults in the media, but also in the community, when their views do not match those of other individuals or groups," the statement said.
The Ombudsman institution reminded that when qualifying a misdemeanor, the relevant provisions of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination should be taken into account, which stipulates hate speech as a special form of discrimination.
"Only decisive reactions from the competent authorities, as well as condemnation from the wider community, will influence the creation of a more favorable environment for the work of the media in general," the statement says.
It is added that in a society with such frequent attacks of various kinds on women, actions such as the incident in question further deepen the atmosphere of fear and can influence self-censorship.
"We would like to remind you once again that every threat directed at an individual journalist represents a threat to media freedom in general, which in total has an impact on the democratic capacities of the community as a whole," the statement concludes.
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