PODGORICA, 27.05.2023. – 19 years after the murder of the editor-in-chief of “Dan” Duško Jovanović, the state has still not shed light on this biggest crime against journalists in the history of Montenegro. A big stain remains on the face of the state due to the absence of an effective investigation that would lead to the perpetrators and motives of this crime.
Although it has been repeatedly indicated from the highest officials that things are moving from the deadlock, the public is deprived of evidence for such claims. Even the Commission for Monitoring Investigations of Attacks on Journalists in its latest report, which was published at the end of last year, noted obvious, serious omissions and recommended the next steps to the competent authorities. Whether and to what extent the authorities acted in accordance with the recommendations is still unknown.
Representatives of the civil sector and the media community also proposed the engagement of international experts to help solve this murder, but nothing concrete was done on this occasion either.
We call on the Government, the police, and the prosecutor’s office to finally show their readiness to put this crime, which is on the list of the oldest unsolved murders of journalists in Europe, into the focus of their work and prove that actions are behind words.
Without a complete investigation of the murder, there is no even symbolic satisfaction for the Jovanovic family and the media community, and Montenegro remains one of the countries that have ballast in all international reports because it did not conduct an effective investigation into the journalist’s murder.
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro