By In December, tree new incidents were recorded in the SafeJournalists database.
On December 4, the President of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš, sent an offensive and sexist Instagram comment to Milka Tadić Mijović, director of the Center for Investigative Journalism, in response to her statement in Vijesti. Following public criticism, Vraneš claimed he respects all women regardless of political affiliation and said his comment was political, not personal. The Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Pljevlja has opened a case against Vraneš. They had instructed the police to collect information from both Tadić Mijović and Vraneš, after which they will determine whether his message contains elements of a criminal offence or a misdemeanor.
On December 6, two residents of Botun (Municipality of Zeta), threatened Vijesti journalist Nikola Saveljić, warning him not to “provoke with questions” and saying he would “end up badly in the field” if he continued reporting. The incident occurred after Saveljić questioned DNP leader Milan Knežević at a local protest, who mocked the journalist following a follow-up question. Afterward, the two residents approached Saveljić in an aggressive manner, accusing him of working against them and claiming he had previously provoked them in Golubovci.
A resident of Nikšić verbally insulted several journalists reporting on a double homicide in the city. Crews from TV Vijesti, Adria, RTV Nikšić, the local public broadcaster’s news portal, and the daily Dan were targeted upon arriving at the scene. An unidentified man shouted insults, accusing the media of responsibility for the crime. Despite attempts to calm the situation, he continued insulting the journalists before leaving. The incident was reported to the police by TV Vijesti journalist Željko Vuksanović, who requested that the man be issued only a warning, without further proceedings.
Trial in the Case of the Attack on Photojournalist Pejović Postponed Again
The trial of Nikola Raičević and Milić Ralević, who are charged with the criminal offence of coercion against Vijesti photojournalist Boris Pejović, was postponed for the second time today at the Basic Court in Berane, this time to allow defence lawyers time to review the case file. At the hearing, counsel for the defendant Ralević stated that he had only been retained the previous day and required additional time to prepare for trial, requesting that the hearing be adjourned
Former photojournalist of the daily Vijesti, Savo Prelević, testified that in the period preceding the attack on former Vijesti journalist Olivera Lakić, a highly negative atmosphere had been created around her, leaving her distressed and fearful. Prelević recalled that during that period Lakić was continuously spoken about in a negative manner by former Assistant Director of the Police Administration Enis Baković, businessman Zoran “Ćoćo” Bećirović, and a former NGO activist who is now the head of the public broadcaster, Boris Raonić.
The first concrete step toward the implementation of the Protocol on the Protection of Journalists
At its session held on 25 December, the Government of Montenegro adopted a Decision establishing an Intersectoral Working Group for the establishment of a mechanism for the safety of journalists. TUMM stated that this is the first concrete step toward the implementation of the Protocol on the Protection of Journalists
