Trial continues after complaint filed by "Vijesti" journalist against founder of Aktuelno portal

Freedom of expression and the right to public debate do not mean calling someone a member of the mafia, accusing them of racketeering or linking them to criminal activities without any basis. A public debate cannot be invoked to justify the use of expressions that are clearly intended to discredit, humiliate and compromise rather than contribute to a debate of public interest, said the legal representative of journalist Dragana Šćepanović, lawyer Veselin Radulović, today before the Basic Court in Kolašin.

As announced by the Society of Professional Journalists of Montenegro (DPNCG), the trial continued in this court on the lawsuit filed by "Vijesti" and Monitor journalist Dragana Šćepanović against the founder of the portal Aktuelno - "Ski resort Kolašin 1450", because he has been conducting a defamatory campaign against her for a long period of time due to the work he does.

The trial was reportedly postponed to September 16th because the portal's editor-in-chief, Balša Knežević, did not come to testify today, and judge Mirjana Čepić said that he would be forcibly brought in if he did not appear at the next hearing.

Today, the lawyer for "Ski resort Kolašin 1450" read some of the articles that the journalist published in "Vijesti", trying to present her as unprofessional because she allegedly did not consult the other side, which Veselin Radulović denied because she sent questions for each publication, but there were no answers.

"The defendant is trying to turn a dispute about damage to reputation into a dispute about environmental protection and water quality. The subject of the proceedings is not whether or not there was a risk of water pollution, nor whether certain texts were accurate or not, but rather determining whether the defendant violated the honor and dignity of the journalist by using qualifications such as media mafia, mafia tabloid, spreading lies, stalking, and others, which portray her as a person prone to criminal and dishonorable acts. Even if it were assumed that certain allegations were incorrect, which the plaintiff disputes, such a circumstance cannot be a justification for insults, defamation, and accusations of committing criminal offenses," said the lawyer, also stating that there was never a reaction or correction to the published texts.

This, the DPNCG added, is the second lawsuit for compensation for non-pecuniary damage and mental anguish against the founder of the Aktuelno portal - "Ski resort Kolašin 1450", which was filed with the support of the DPNCG and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom.

"In March last year, the Basic Court in Podgorica accepted Dragana Šćepanović's lawsuit against the same portal, stating that as a public figure she was violated in an extremely offensive manner and that the use of inappropriate vocabulary was not justified by public interest, nor could it have any general significance. The verdict was delivered by judge Ivana Žujović, who awarded the journalist 2.000 euros as non-pecuniary damage for the mental anguish suffered due to the violation of her personality rights and ordered the yellow portal to remove 10 texts that were the subject of the lawsuit," the statement said.

The verdict, they add, is not yet final and is sitting in the drawers of the Higher Court in Podgorica.

"DPNCG expects the Higher Court in Podgorica to issue a final verdict as soon as possible, because in addition to the importance of judicial efficiency, it sends a message that it is unacceptable to insult, persecute and intimidate journalists with insults so that they do not do their job. The founder of the portal is Zoran Ćoćo Bećirović, a controversial businessman whose business dealings in the municipality of Kolašin have been written about, among other things, by the correspondents of Vijesti and Monitor," it states.

Bećirović served a one-year prison sentence in the fall for beating Pobjeda journalist Ana Raičković with his bodyguard and MUP officer Mladen Mijatović.

"In the same case, Bećirović's son Luka was also given a suspended sentence. Mijatović was disciplined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs after the attack and there is no publicly available information that his job was put in question, even though he was criminally punished," it concludes.