Murder of CeO and Editor-in-Chief of daily ‘Dan’ Dusko Jovanovic even after 14 years was not entirely resolved. This crime remains also as warning of the extent of capture of state institutions by political influence which limits their professional and responsible work in the public interest.
Unfortunately, journalists are even in 2018 targets of brutal attacks, and state organs do not show commitment to ensure protection of journalists and to secure conditions for development of media freedom, especially in part of those media which have critical relation towards decision makers.
It is unacceptable and devastating that even after 14 years we do not know who ordered the murder of Dusko Jovanovic, and who and in which manner has participated in this crime, but there is also no responsibility for inefficient conduct of investigation. The best confirmation that this case has never adequately been processed is also a fact that direct perpetrators remained unidentified after so many years and that they still are at large.
By lack of conduct of authorised organs in this case, doors were opened for all further numerous attacks on journalists in Montenegro, of which the largest part, also, remains unresolved. Namely, according to data of Police Administration of Montenegro, from 2004 to 2017, 85 attacks on media and their property have been reported to police, of which the majority has never gained an adequate epilogue. This is a sort of message of Montenegrin authorities to media community and a real mirror of messages stated so many times, by highest state officials, that ‘Montenegro is a safe country in which journalists can unhindered, without fear and consequences deal with investigative journalism‘.
As long as the case of Dusko Jovanovic remains unresolved we cannot speak about Montenegro as of country of rule of law and developed institutions of system which have supremacy in relation to political and other out-institutional forms of power.
Ana Nenezic, Coordinator of Democratisation and Europeanisation Programme