By PODGORICA, 15 October 2026 – Photojournalist Boris Pejović, who was attacked in August 2025 while photographing the removal of an illegally erected monument to Chetnik commander and war criminal Pavle Đurišić in Gornje Zaostro near Berane, said he was shocked by the latest ruling of the Misdemeanour Court in Bijelo Polje.
We publish Pejović’s statement in full:
I am shocked by the ruling in which Filip Čikić was fined just 150 euros (if he pays within 30 days of the judgment becoming final) for making death threats against me and my colleague Balša Rudović.
To make matters even more absurd, I myself was fined 150 euros just a few days ago for using my phone while driving. In other words, in Montenegro, the fine for a traffic violation is equal to the fine for making death threats against journalists. What message does such a decision send to journalists, but also to anyone who might think that intimidating members of the media is an acceptable way of dealing with people whose work they dislike?
I believe that such a sentencing policy is deeply discouraging and could have a serious chilling effect on journalists, while emboldening those who threaten them. When a potential attacker sees that death threats against journalists are punished with a fine of 150 euros, one has to wonder whether the state truly understands the gravity of such actions and the consequences they have for journalists’ safety and their freedom to do their jobs.
It is not enough for judicial officials, MPs, politicians and other public officeholders to merely declare their commitment to protecting the journalistic profession, freedom of speech and the safety of media workers. Their responsibility is reflected in concrete decisions, laws and sentencing policies. If they are so eager to talk about European standards and the protection of journalists, then they must explain how a 150-euro fine for death threats fits into those standards.
What is particularly disheartening is that journalists are expected to report professionally on social problems, political conflicts and sensitive events, while simultaneously facing threats, pressure and risks to their personal safety. Journalists must not be left to fend for themselves after doing their jobs. The state has an obligation to provide them with effective protection, rather than creating the impression, through its actions, that intimidation is an almost insignificant misdemeanour.
After everything I have experienced, I am beginning to wonder whether, in Montenegro, it is cheaper to threaten journalists than to commit a traffic violation. This is not merely a personal question, but one that must be answered by everyone responsible for drafting laws, imposing penalties and publicly advocating the rule of law.
Having learned from this experience, I am now publicly making the following threats against the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović; former President Milo Đukanović; Prime Minister Milojko Spajić; Minister of Justice Bojan Božović; Deputy Prime Minister for Security Aleksa Bečić; President of the Supreme Court Valentina Pavličić; Supreme State Prosecutor Milorad Marković; Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović; Speaker of Parliament Andrija Mandić; and all members of the Montenegrin Parliament.
I hereby publicly address them with the following threatening words: “We should have killed you, we could have killed you, you should have lost your heads.” I also want to tell them that they are Ustashas and traitors.
These are the very same threats that Filip Čikić made against me in Gornje Zaostro near Berane, while also restricting my movement and physically confronting me. I expect to receive the same punishment as he did: a fine of 150 euros under Article 8 of the Law on Public Order and Peace for making these threats, since the Constitution stipulates that we are all equal before the law in this country.
Accordingly, after issuing this statement, I will personally report myself to the police and file a misdemeanour complaint against myself. I have no intention of making excuses or crying like those who attacked me, claiming that I had not attended the gathering marking the erection of a monument to Chetnik commander and Nazi collaborator Pavle Đurišić, but had instead been attending a church celebration or had been drunk.
I am making this statement completely sober, of sound mind and in full possession of my faculties.
I will be more than happy to contribute 150 euros to Montenegro’s state budget, as my modest contribution towards filling its coffers, so that the proposed EU salary model can be adopted and implemented from 1 January 2027.
Long live European Montenegro!
