Centre for Civic Education (CCE) welcomes the ruling of the Minor Offences Court in Bijelo Polje, Pljevlja Division, by which the Mayor of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš, was found guilty over a post published on the social network Instagram targeting journalist and Director of the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG), Milka Tadić Mijović.
The CCE particularly highlights that the Court clearly underlined that public appearances by office holders cannot be exempt from responsibility, especially when they are used for personal discreditation, insulting, and humiliating women in the public sphere. When such messages come from decision-makers, they carry additional weight, as they contribute to the normalization of inappropriate speech, deepen social inequalities, and discourage women from participating equally in public life.
Public officials have an obligation to set standards of responsible and dignified communication, rather than undermining the fundamental values of a democratic society through their public appearances.
Therefore, this ruling is a step forward in ensuring that the protection of dignity, equality, and personal integrity does not remain merely declarative, but receives judicial confirmation in concrete cases. It is particularly important for courts to develop a clear and consistent practice in cases involving degrading speech and discrimination in public communication. This would represent a significant contribution to improving the application of international standards and best practices in the work of competent authorities, while also bringing greater legal certainty for victims of such conduct.
The CCE welcomes the fact that the Court’s decision emphasizes that freedom of expression does not imply the right to insult and demean the dignity of another person, as well as the fact that the Court refers to the opinion of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms and that aggravating circumstances were assessed with a high level of expertise.
The CCE expects this case to serve as a strong message and warning that the public space must be a place of responsibility, not of abuse of power, especially when the targets are women, who are increasingly exposed to insults, pressure, and gender-based attacks.
Nikola Obradović, Programme Associate