Human Rights Action (HRA) condemns the latest arson of daily Vijesti vehicles, which represents yet another linked attempt to intimidate the owners and employees of this media outlet, in addition to the ruthless destruction of property.
It is unrealistic to expect anything anymore from the current state officials, police officers and the State Prosecutor’s Office. We hope that they will be replaced by more efficient persons, who will stop Montenegro being the scene of attacks and other threats to freedom of expression, primarily directed against the journalists of Vijesti as well as other journalists and citizens who dare publicly criticize the state of the state.
We note that the investigation of the previous three cases of arson of Vijesti vehicles in 2011 and the vehicle of this media outlet’s printing house has not led to any known results; that the prosecution and punishment of the attackers who beat the director of Vijesti Željko Ivanović in 2007 remains under question mark; that it has not been resolved who beat the journalist of Vijesti Tufik Softić in 2007 and who and why detonated a bomb in the yard of his family home in 2013; that the investigation of physical attack on journalist of Vijesti Mladen Stojović in 2008 in Bar became time-barred without results; that it has not been resolved who sent anonymous threatening letters to editors of daily and television Vijesti in 2010; that it has still not been resolved who and why threatened the journalist of Vijesti Olivera Lakić in 2011 nor who ordered the attack on her in 2012; that it has not been resolved who stoned the premises of the editorial board of Vijesti in 2013 nor who activated an explosive device under the window of the editor-in-chief of daily Vijesti at the end of 2013.
HRA published the report “Prosecution of attacks on journalists in Montenegro” on 31 January 2014, available here. In cooperation with the Media Trade Union of Montenegro, we proposed the Criminal Code reform in order to increase the criminal law protection of journalists. The proposal is available here.
