Non-governmental organisations active in the fields of media and human rights have submitted an initiative to the Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro, requesting a reconsideration of the candidacies and the preparation of a new proposed list of candidates for membership of the RTCG Council, after a review of the available documentation revealed numerous serious irregularities.
Representatives of the Media Centre and the Montenegro Media Institute reviewed electronic copies of the candidates’ documentation. However, they were not granted access to the original documents, although this was the essence of the submitted request for free access to information. It was therefore not possible to reliably determine whether individual documents had been submitted in their original form or as certified copies. This is crucial, as the submission of even a single mandatory document in the form of an uncertified copy, without the organisation’s original stamp or the signature of an authorised person, means that the NGO’s documentation does not meet the statutory requirements and that its endorsement of the candidate must be excluded from the procedure.
We consider that the proposed list of candidates for membership of the RTCG Council was based on an insufficiently thorough review of the documentation submitted by organisations active in the fields of media and human rights. We therefore call on the Administrative Committee to conduct a fresh review of the original documentation, with the direct participation of MPs, and to draw up a new list that complies with the law.
The new list must include Olivera Nikolić as the representative of NGOs active in the field of media and Vladan Mićunović as the representative of NGOs active in the field of human rights. We recall that Veselin Drljević withdrew his candidacy after being convicted by a final judgment of abuse of office committed in his capacity as a member of the RTCG Council. Olivera Nikolić is therefore the only remaining candidate from the field of media who meets the statutory requirements and has the support of eligible nominating organisations. Furthermore, the reviewed documentation clearly shows that Vladan Mićunović has more valid endorsements than Amar Škrijelj.
We once again draw attention to the numerous irregularities in the documentation submitted in support of Veselin Drljević. Nearly one third of those NGOs do not include media among their statutory areas of activity, while several organisations amended their statutes on 28 February 2026, immediately before the public call was announced, often adding media-related activities using almost identical wording. In addition, five organisations that supported Drljević were founded or are managed either by Drljević himself or by Todor Brajković, a candidate for the position of RTCG Ombudsman. Most of these organisations failed to submit a decision by the competent NGO body endorsing the candidate, or another document clearly demonstrating that the assembly or another authorised body had adopted a decision on the nomination. Numerous other deficiencies were also identified, including blank or inconsistent financial statements, failure to meet the statutory minimum annual budget requirement, the use of stamps belonging to other organisations, uncertified acts of establishment and registration decisions, and activities that do not fall within the field of media. It is also indicative that some of the deficiencies are identical to those on the basis of which the Administrative Committee annulled the 2025 procedure for appointing members of the Council of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services.
At the same time, a review of the documentation submitted by organisations that supported Amar Škrijelj indicates that the number of valid nominations is not 24, as determined by the Administrative Committee. Certain organisations that supported Škrijelj failed to submit certified statutes, registration decisions or acts of establishment. Others cited folklore festivals, concerts, the production of traditional costumes, music events, the promotion of cultural heritage, agricultural fairs and handicrafts as evidence of their work in the field of human rights. Such activities belong to the fields of culture, agriculture or local development, rather than human rights, and the support of those organisations cannot therefore be considered valid within this category. Once these organisations with incomplete documentation are excluded, Amar Škrijelj’s support does not exceed 15 valid nominations, while Vladan Mićunović has the valid support of 21 NGOs.
We call on the Administrative Committee to inspect the original documentation without delay, verify all the facts set out above, correct the errors made during the previous review, and draw up a new proposed list of candidates for membership of the RTCG Council that complies with the law.
Only a complete, transparent and legally grounded review of the documentation can ensure that members of the RTCG Council are appointed through a lawful procedure, free from political manipulation and doubts concerning the lawfulness and integrity of the process. We will continue to insist on this.
Goran Đurović, Media Centre
Olivera Nikolić, Montenegro Media Institute (MMI)
Daliborka Uljarević, Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Milka Tadić Mijović, Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG)
Mustafa Canka, UL Info
Darko Ivanović, NGO 35mm
Milica Kovačević, Centre for Democratic Transition (CDT)
Zdravko Janjušević, Bijelo Polje Democratic Centre
Nataša Nelević, NOVA – Centre for Feministic Culture
Zorana Marković, Centre for Development of non-governmental organisations (CRNVO)
Nevenka Vuksanović, Centre for Democracy and Human (CEDEM)
Muamera Muslić, NGO Djakomo Adriatic
Boris Nedović, NGO Northern Centre
Nataša Međedović, SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence Nikšić
Biljana Zeković, SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence Podgorica
Radomir Kračković, Media Union of Montenegro
Aida Perović, NGO Prima
Slavica Striković, NGO Women Action
Maja Raičević, Centre for Women Rights
Ivana Vujović, NGO Juventas