BERANE, 20.11.2025 – The trial of Danko Femić continued yesterday at the Basic Court in Berane. The prosecution charges him with having committed the criminal offense of coercion on August 8 in Donje Zaostro against photojournalists of Vijesti and Pobjeda, Boris Pejović and Stevo Vasiljević.
At the defense’s request, five witnesses were heard — Dragoslav Labović, Dragoljub Šćekić, Radovan Obradović, Milić Ralević and Vojislav Rmuš.
During the removal of a monument to the Chetnik commander and war criminal Pavle Đurišić in the village of Gornje Zaostro near Berane, several dozen people who attended the event attacked Pejović and Vasiljević. When news crews arrived, a number of people ran toward them, began to threaten them aggressively, got in their faces, and grabbed cameras and equipment. Vasiljević had his equipment taken and broken; he was forcefully led into a tent where several people began to hit him and threaten him. A few villagers managed to pull him out of the angry crowd and led him to the church to speak with an unnamed bishop.
Pejović and Vasiljević were forced under threats to delete all material from their cameras. Vijesti photojournalist Boris Pejović was threatened that if “anything appears on Vijesti” he would be “killed with bare hands.”
While all this was happening, two ununiformed police officers merely watched the attack on the news crews.
The trial of Danko Femić began on October 13 at the Basic Court in Berane. Also in Berane, on October 27 a misdemeanor proceeding began before the misdemeanor court against five people suspected of participating in the incident in Donje Zaostro. The Berane Basic State Prosecutor’s Office announced on October 29 that it had filed an indictment proposal with the Basic Court in Berane against N.R. and M.R. for the criminal offense of coercion.
Witnesses say there was no incident
As Pobjeda reports, at the hearing on November 19 witness Labović said they spoke in a friendly tone and that no incident took place. He says he saw Femić holding the cameras, and that he “asked” the injured parties to delete the photographs.
“I think Vasiljević did that. Femić handed him the equipment, they greeted each other in a friendly mood. There was no incident,” he said.
Witness Dragoljub Šćekić also claims everything was peaceful and that he did not see any pushing or threats.
“I was on the truck’s crane and I would have seen if there had been shouting or conflict. Everything passed peacefully,” he says.
Radovan Obradović, a retired colonel, said that during the monument’s dismantling he wanted to take photographs but gave up when “the priest over the loudspeaker repeatedly asked that nothing be filmed or published.” He said he wanted to, as he put it, respect the “sanctity.” He also did not see any conflict or any unpleasantness.
Vojislav Rmuš said that everyone had been invited under the tent to a “trpeza ljubavi” (a “table of love”). He said the priest asked those present for about 15 minutes not to photograph the removal, after which the injured parties nevertheless approached and started filming, which caused people’s discontent. He stated that the conversation at the church was calm, that the injured parties showed they had deleted the photographs, and that they only identified themselves as journalists after their equipment was returned.
Femić’s trial will continue on December 24.
Source: Pobjeda, SafeJournalists