By PODGORICA, 07.09.2026. – In August, the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM) did not record any new cases attacks, threats or pressure in the SafeJournalists database. This was the first month in the past two years with no new incidents recorded.
Court Developments
Misdemeanour Court in Bijelo Polje fined Ski Resort Kolašin 1450, the company behind the Aktuelno news portal, EUR 6,000 and its Executive Director Jovana Radević EUR 800 for failing to remove comments that violated the honour, reputation and dignity of Vijesti journalist Dragana Šćepanović. The case concerned three grossly offensive and vulgar comments published on the portal in September 2024.
The court found that the comments constituted a serious attack on Šćepanović’s personal and professional integrity and could not be considered legitimate criticism or value judgments on matters of public interest. It also stressed that the media outlet and its management were responsible for removing unlawful comments regardless of whether the identity of their author had been established.
The ruling comes against the backdrop of a prolonged campaign against Šćepanović, which began after her reporting on the business activities of Ski Resort Kolašin 1450. She reported feeling threatened to the police as early as September 2023 and has said that more than 60 articles targeting her have been published. In March 2025, she won a separate civil case against Aktuelno, with the court ordering the portal to remove ten articles and pay her EUR 2,000 in damages. A second civil case, concerning another series of articles, is currently pending before the Basic Court in Kolašin.
The safety concerns are particularly significant given that the company’s owner, businessman Zoran Bećirović, was previously convicted at first instance of physically assaulting another journalist, Ana Raičević.
