We strongly condemn the decision of the Minister of Defense, Dragan Krapović, to deny access—without any legal basis—to certain media outlets (Antena M, Portal Analitika, TVE and Portal ETV) at a Ministry of Defense press conference.

We remind that Article 38, Paragraph 1 of the Media Law clearly states that accreditation for events organized by public sector entities or other entities expecting media presence cannot be denied to journalists. By doing so, the minister has directly violated the law and the obligations of the institution he leads.

Such practice constitutes a form of media discrimination and a blatant violation of the Constitution of Montenegro, which guarantees freedom of expression, freedom of the press and the public’s right to access information. Furthermore, denying access solely to specific editorial teams is contrary to international standards for the protection of media freedom.

The Government of Montenegro is obligated to ensure equal treatment of all journalists and media, regardless of their editorial policies.

We therefore call on the Minister of Defense to reverse his decision, and on the Minister of Culture and Media to publicly defend the rights of journalists and media outlets whose work is being restricted by the authorities.

We will also inform international organizations monitoring media freedom in Montenegro about this case.

Signatories:

• Tea Gorjanc Prelević, Human Rights Action (HRA)

• Daliborka Uljarević, Center for Civic Education (CCE)

• Maja Raičević, Center for Women’s Rights (CWR)

• Milka Tadić Mijović, Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG)

• Mila Radulović, Association of Professional Journalists of Montenegro

• Milena Popović Samardžić, Ipso Facto

• Olivera Nikolić, Montenegro Media Institute (MMI)

• Goran Đurović, Media Center

• Dina Bajramspahić, Civic Activist

• Jovana Marović, Civic Activist

• Paula Petričević, Civic Activist