PODGORICA, 16.07.2019. – None of the cases of attacks on journalists can be considered as solved until perpetrators and orderers aren’t condemn and until they find themselves behind bars.
This was said by the Nikola Markovic, President of the Commission for Monitoring Investigation of Attack on Journalists, after the Government praised the police because they solved each of four cases from 2018 and one case of threats from this year.
“The Government will continue supporting media freedom and providing a safe and incentive ambience for their work”, the Government said in a statement.
According to the Commission, in 2018, there were four attacks on journalists of newspaper and TV “Vijesti”: two on Sead Sadikovic – threats and firing of an explosive device, attempted murder of Olivera Lakic and threats to Jelena Jovanovic.
The President of the Commission believes that the Government was referring specifically to these cases in statement, which, according to him, is for every conviction because it shows that there is no sincere will to solve the attacks, but to get cheap political points in front of the domestic and international public.
“In particular, this refers to such serious cases as the attempt to murder of Olivera Lakic, which happened in 2018, and which later in a magical way was re-qualified as causing serious bodily harm…The state authorities were obliged to additionally be precise and elementally correct when it comes to the alleged solving of the attack on Olivera Lakic. The Commission does not have information that an indictment is filed against someone, and, according to my data, Olivera was not informed that her case was solved. According to the information I have as Commission President, no one has contacted Lakic from the Prosecution since June last year, and it is even more terrible that she was informed of the alleged solving of the attack on her as well as all other citizens through the media”, said he for “Vijesti”.
According to him, the quality of the investigation is also indicated by the fact that since February 19, when it was announced that the case was resolved, they refuse, despite Lakic’s requirements addressed to the Ivica Stankovic the Supreme State Prosecutor, to submit her the case files.
“Possible operational knowledge and indications can not serve as evidence that this act has been resolved, but they represent the toughest manipulation. After all, we are witnesses that many cases have remained only on operative knowledge. For example, when it comes to the murder of Dusko Jovanovic, in June 2004, the police officially announced that they had operational knowledge of who killed the editor-in-chief of „Dan“. For the past 15 years, we are waiting for the competent authorities to turn these operative findings into evidence that will result in an indictment, arrest, and judgment”, said the President of the Commission.
He emphasizes that the Government and the competent state authorities are obliged to tell the public who ordered, and who shot at Olivera Lakic.
“For me, as long as that does not happen, attack on her wont be solved and it will be a sort of mockery of both victims and justice”, he said.
Commenting on the government’s statement of all solved cases, Milka Tadic Mijovic the President of the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro, claims that this is another in a series of deceptions of the authorities.
“We all know that the case of journalist Olivera Lakic is not even in the form of being resolved. But by their old custom, they fabricate things and spread fake news. The Government is one of the biggest producers of fake news in Montenegro and what was announced yesterday, is one new fake news in a row. This news is a continuity of the deception, because in previous cases they fabricated the truth and produced fake witnesses and found volunteers to spread lies to solve cases of attacks on journalists”, said Tadic Mijovic.
She added that the extent to which Montenegro and its authorities deal with the issue of media freedom and attacks are best illustrated by the fact that the state constantly falls on the Word Press Freedom Index of the Reporters Without Borders and other international organizations who are dealing with issue of media freedom.
“After all, what to say when the President of the state (Milo Dukanovic) in the case of the murder of Dusko Jovanovic claimed that he knew who was behind this crime, but never, what his human and presidential duty was, did not inform the prosecution and the public about what he knows“, she concluded.
Only cases that do not indicate corruption and crime are solved
Nikola Markovic the President of the Commission, said that it is obvious that there is a rule when it comes to resolving attacks on journalists.
“Every case that does not deal with high corruption, the connivance of the authorities and organized crime is resolved immediately. Such are attacks on colleagues Sadikovic and Adrovic and colleague Jovanovic, but not the attack on Olivera Lakic”, he said for “Vijesti”.