PODGORICA, 24.02.2026. – The trial in the case concerning the attack on photojournalist Boris Pejović has been postponed indefinitely after one of the defendants, Nikola Raičević, requested the recusal of Judge Ivan Došljak.
According to information obtained by the SafeJournalists network, Raičević sought the judge’s disqualification on the grounds that his father allegedly had a past conflict with Judge Došljak, who had been his superior at the time.
Two separate proceedings are being conducted before the Basic Court in Berane in relation to the incident in Gornje Zaostro, where a group of local residents attacked Vijesti and Pobjeda photojournalists Boris Pejović and Stevo Vasiljević. The journalists were reporting that day on the removal of a monument to Chetnik commander and convicted war criminal Pavle Đurišić.
The first set of proceedings began on 13 October against Danko Femić, who is charged with the criminal offence of coercion to the detriment of a photojournalist.
The second case, in which Nikola Raičević and Milić Ralević are charged with the same offence, was scheduled to begin on 5 December. However, that hearing was adjourned due to Ralević’s failure to appear. A subsequent hearing was also postponed because his defence counsel did not attend.
Speaking at today’s hearing, Pejović stated that the repeated adjournments could not be coincidental.
“Once the conditions were finally met for the trial to begin, a request was made for the recusal of the presiding judge. If there were grounds for such a request, it should have been submitted immediately upon learning of the alleged reason. I believe this is a classic obstruction of criminal proceedings,” Pejović said.
(T.R.)