Actual Attacks on Journalists, Boris Pejović and Stevo Vasiljević, Berane, 08.08.2025.

Translations: Podgorica 

During the removal of the monument to the Chetnik commander and war criminal Pavle Đurišić in the village near Berane (North of Montenegro), dozens of people who attended the event attacked the photojournalists of Vijesti and Pobjeda, Boris Pejović and Stevo Vasiljević.

After the arrival of the press teams, several people ran towards them, started aggressively threatening them, getting in their faces, stealing cameras and equipment. Vasiljević’s equipment was taken away and his equipment was broken, he was forced into a tent, whereupon several people started hitting him and threatening him. A few locals managed to pull him out of the angry crowd and took him to the church, to talk to the unnamed bishop.

Pejović and Vasiljević were forced to delete all the material from the camera under threats. Vijesti photojournalist Boris Pejović was threatened that if “anything appeared on Vijesti” he would be “killed with his bare hands”. While all this was happening, two plainclothes policemen were just watching the attack on the news crews.

Berane police detained five people on suspicion of harassing photojournalists. Danko Femić from Bijelo Polje was arrested, under suspicion of having committed the criminal offense of endangering security.

He was acquitted at first instance by the Basic Court in Berane on 22 April 2026 of charges of committing the criminal offence of coercion against two photojournalists.

In a separate proceeding, the Basic Court in Berane found Nikola Raičević and Milić Ralević guilty in April 2026 of the same offence against Pejović.

Two misdemeanor proceedings were also conducted before the Misdemeanour Court in Berane against several individuals, most of which ended in acquittals.