DPNCG: The prosecutor believed everyone's statements, except journalist Hajdarpašić and the court expert

The Basic Prosecutor in Bijelo Polje, Jelena Vučetić, has determined that there are no elements for criminal prosecution of the persons who prevented journalist Alisa Hajdarpašić from reporting a year ago, thereby believing the statements of everyone except the journalist and the court expert, the Association of Professional Journalists of Montenegro (DPNCG) announced today.

"The incident occurred when the then TV Vijesti correspondent was monitoring a police search in front of the Lazović family house in Orahovica after the arrest of former high-ranking security sector leader Zoran Lazović. He was arrested on April 14, 2024, on the orders of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT). On that occasion, the TV Vijesti correspondent, as she reported, was harassed and insulted by a group of people - especially Vladan Kovačević and Sakib Čindrak, who supported the Lazovićs at the rally and prevented her from filming the police action," the DPNCG statement, signed by president Mila Radulović, states.

The association added that the prosecutor "made this decision, as can be seen from her ruling, after none of the police officers present confirmed that they saw the crowd preventing the journalist from filming, which was physically impossible considering that the statements were given by police officers who were searching the house or who were not on site at all."

"Only one police officer, who was at the gate of the house, confirmed that he knew that a journalist was at the scene, and that there was a commotion among the gathered people, to whom, as he said, he drew their attention not to disturb public order because they were making noise. The decision of the Bijelo Polje ODT shows that the prosecutor did not recognize the problem of journalists being obstructed in their work, and that she did not have adequate cooperation from the police, who, in order to scare witnesses, also provided her with a list of people who were not at the scene. The prosecutor made the decision solely on the basis of a recording that the journalist made that day, in an attempt to do her job, and which shows that Sakib Čindrak was physically obstructing her from filming a police action. He will be charged with a misdemeanor for this, and the hearing before the Misdemeanor Court in Bijelo Polje is scheduled for June 2," the DPNCG said.

They said that the prosecution's files indicate that witnesses and those under suspicion gave almost identical statements and descriptions of events.

"In their statements, they claim that they did not know that Hajdarpašić was a journalist, but they all saw how fast she was driving, what car she had, how she parked, and that she was supposedly calm when she got into the vehicle after the incident. They also said that they treated her politely and with respect because she was a lady, and that she was actually insulting her. In her statement to the police, the journalist previously said that she had been insulted on the basis of her gender and called her derogatory names. Contrary to their statements, a court expert hired by the prosecution, analyzing documents from the Emergency Room and the Bijelo Polje Health Center, concluded that the journalist had a psychological reaction to severe stress, which may be related to a stressful event," said the DPNCG.

The association said that it was "clear to them that prosecutors make decisions based on evidence, but it is not clear how they do not recognize the premeditated statements of those who were at the rally and why the journalist was under stress if they were so polite and cultured."