Attack on journalist, Jadranka Cetkovic, Bijelo Polje, 17.06.2022.

Translations: Podgorica 

• Case info

• Personal info

• Regional center

  Podgorica
• Who was attacked?

  Journalist
• Gender

  Female
• Victim(s) name

  Jadranka Ćetković

• Media outlet

• Name of the media outlet

  Vijesti
• Type of media platform

  Printed Media
  
• Source of information about the incident

  Vijesti

• Incident Data

• Date of incident

  17.06.2022
• City

  Bijelo Polje
• Perpetrator(s)

  Known (suspected)
• Attacked by

  (ordinary) citizens
  
• Type of incident

  Actual attacks on journalists
• Type of attack

  attack_other

• Action by the authorities

• Action taken by the journalists' association

• Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?

  No

Journalist of Daily news “Vijesti” Jadranka Ćetković was attacked in front of the High Court building in Bijelo Polje while on duty. Ćetković was covering a trial in Bijelo Polje and went outside the building after the trial to photograph the accused. Lawyer Marković and the accused D.D. were the first to exit the building and stopped to allow the journalist to photograph them. Shortly after, she noticed E.P. exiting the building.

As she stood with her phone in hand, E.P. approached her with quick steps, spreading his arms and speaking to her in a threatening tone. He also hurled insults and profanities at her.

On suspicion of committing the criminal offense of coercion, E.P. was detained on the orders of the acting prosecutor and brought before the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office (BSO) in Bijelo Polje. However, the BSO rejected the criminal complaint filed by the journalist’s lawyer, Mirko Bošković, on three occasions, even though the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Bijelo Polje had upheld four complaints filed by Bošković, each with almost identical content and instructions to address irregularities in the BSO’s handling of the case.

Meanwhile, the BSO submitted a request to the Misdemeanor Court to initiate proceedings regarding the attack on Ćetković. The Misdemeanor Court in Bijelo Polje swiftly conducted the evidentiary process and concluded the hearing, paving the way for a decision in the case. Before the official start of the hearing, Ćetković attempted to explain why the conditions for misdemeanor proceedings were not met and requested a postponement so that her lawyer Bošković, who had not been summoned, could attend. However, the court rejected this request, proceeded with the evidentiary process, and concluded it on the same day without hearing the victim, as the accused fully admitted all the actions attributed to him.

“In this way, we find ourselves in an extremely paradoxical legal situation where the Misdemeanor Court in Bijelo Polje has completed the proceedings regarding the same actions and the same accused individual for which the competent prosecutor’s office is still investigating whether the essential elements of a criminal offense are present. This effectively undermines the rights of the injured journalist to file a complaint and to pursue criminal prosecution, as guaranteed by the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code. Such a scenario represents a significant threat to the position of journalists and media workers, no less dangerous than the attack itself,” said Bošković.