Since the end of the last year, the General Secretariat of the Montenegrin Government had not responded the Commission for Monitoring Investigations into Attacks on Journalists regarding their recommendation to announce one million euros monetary award for individuals providing information that could help resolve the murder of Duško Jovanović.
According to Vijesti, this can be seen the Commission’s report on its activities from April 10 to December 1 of last year, which was published yesterday on the Government’s website.
“The Commission also addressed the General Secretariat of the Government by letter, requesting information on the implementation status of the Commission’s recommendation for the Government to announce a financial reward of at least one million euros for any individual(s) providing information that could help clarify or lead to the resolution of Duško Jovanović’s murder. However, by the time the report was finalized, no response had been provided,” the report states, signed by the Commission’s president, Mihailo Jovović.
The report also states that from April to December, the Commission monitored ongoing cases of attacks on journalists based on media reports and requested complete case files on actions taken by the relevant authorities. These cases included the attack on journalist Alisa Hajdarpašić while on duty in April 2024, the obstruction of a TV Vijesti crew in March from broadcasting live for the morning show Boje Jutra , threats against employees of TV E, who received multiple threatening comments on Facebook from two accounts, and threats against RTCG journalist Nataša Baranin.
“The Police Directorate provided responses, while the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office did not submit a response by the time this report was finalized,” the report states.
The Commission also contacted the relevant authorities regarding the most recent attack on Ana Raičković, the crime section editor of Pobjeda, requesting documentation.
“The Police Directorate had not provided a response by the time the report was finalized, while the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office informed the Commission that they could not submit the requested case files as the investigation was still in its initial phase.”
In its latest report, the Commission included cases of attacks on journalist Olivera Lakić from 2012, Danica Janković and Slobodan Čukić from August 2022, M Portal editor-in-chief Danica Nikolić from September 2022, Duško Mihailović, and Milica Minić.
Regarding the attack on journalist Lakić in March 2012, the Commission recalled that five individuals were found guilty of perjury and sentenced to three months in prison, while one defendant received a suspended sentence of three months, provided that they do not commit another criminal offense within two years of the final judgment.
The Commission emphasized that all defendants were given the minimum sentence of three months, with one receiving a suspended sentence, which is why the competent prosecution properly appealed the Basic Court’s verdict regarding the sentencing. However, the appellate court rejected the appeal.
The Commission recommended that in similar future cases, proceedings should be regularly initiated against witnesses whom the court or prosecution suspects of giving false testimony or obstructing evidence. This obligation should apply not only to the responsible prosecutor in the case but also to the judges handling the proceedings.
In the report on the attack on journalists Janković and Čukić, the Commission noted that the Police Directorate submitted requests for misdemeanor proceedings against two individuals to the Misdemeanor Court 96 days after the incident, despite the legal deadline being 60 days, resulting in the cases being dismissed.
Among other recommendations, the Commission advised that police should always notify prosecutors of all threats and attacks on journalists and their property. Prosecutors, in turn, should act with urgency, taking all necessary legal measures without delay. In cases where criminal complaints are dismissed, they should initiate misdemeanor proceedings while ensuring compliance with statutes of limitations.
Regarding the attack on M Portal editor-in-chief Danica Nikolić, who reported an unknown perpetrator for sending three offensive and threatening emails, the Commission stated that they had not received documentation on the handling of the case from the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica and the Special Police Department for Suppressing Serious Crimes and High-Tech Crime.
“It is also unclear why an official police record from the Regional Security Center, Podgorica Police Department, dated September 12, 2022, was only registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs on September 23, 2022—11 days after its creation—rather than on the same day, the following day, or another reasonable date,” the report states.
Regarding the attack on journalist Duško Mihailović, the Commission emphasized that police officers, in coordination with the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office, had taken all legally permitted actions. However, they recommended that the prosecution send a request to the judicial authorities in Ireland to determine the identity of the Twitter account user who had threatened Mihailović. In a separate attack, when Mihailović was verbally assaulted while on duty, the Commission found that the police acted in coordination with the Basic State Prosecutor’s Offices in Podgorica and Nikšić. The Nikšić office efficiently processed the suspect, rejecting the criminal complaint but pursuing misdemeanor charges.
Regarding the physical attack on Milica Minić in 2018, the Commission concluded that the incident was unrelated to her journalistic profession and was solely due to a misunderstanding on the beach, making it outside their jurisdiction.
Source: Vijesti (Ana Komatina)