Human Rights Action condemns stoning of TV Pink M facilities and the physical attack on journalist of this television, Ivana Drobnjak, as well as death threats uttered against TV Vijesti director, Marijana Bojanić, via social network Twitter. According to HRA records, these are the 8th and 9th journalistic attacks in 2015, i.e. the 49th attack on journalists and media property in general in Montenegro since 2004.
HRA expects criminal prosecution authorities to efficiently detect and prosecute perpetrators of these attacks.
These cases also point to the need that the Parliament declares attacks on journalists, i.e. preventing journalists from doing their work, as criminal offenses that are punished more severely. It is necessary that the Parliament in this way send a clear message that in a democratic society there is no room for preventing journalists from doing their job in public interest. Those who disagree with the manner of performance of journalists should learn also by criminal sanctions how to express their protest in a civilised and legal manner, without physical attacks or threats of violence.
