VDT Promptly Adopted the Submitted Initiative only four days after the submission of the Initiative for urgent action on the recommendations of the Commission for Monitoring Investigations of Attacks on Journalists by the Association for Responsible and Sustainable Development (UZOR) and the Society of Professional Journalists of Montenegro (DPNCG), the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office (VDT) issued a notification on the steps taken regarding the initiative and the Commission’s recommendations.

The VDT has:

• Requested the heads of all state prosecutor’s offices to provide reports on the handling of cases formed in response to attacks on journalists and media property, particularly those with prolonged proceedings, as well as information on the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations.
• Supplemented missing data on cases of attacks on journalists by including a number of cases, while data collection for remaining cases is ongoing.
• Held a meeting with the Commission for Monitoring Investigations of Attacks on Journalists during which modalities for further cooperation were defined.

We welcome the measures taken by the VDT, which represent a long-awaited boost in clarifying attacks on journalists, and we hope that actions in cases involving attacks on journalists and media property will continue to improve.

We also expect the Police Directorate to act upon our initiative for urgent action on the Commission’s recommendations and thereby confirm its commitment to the fight for human rights.

The Association for Responsible and Sustainable Development (UZOR) and the Society of Professional Journalists of Montenegro (DPNCG) will closely monitor the work of the competent authorities in cases of attacks on journalists and media, particularly regarding the recommendations of the Commission for Monitoring Investigations of Attacks on Journalists. We remain committed to the principles of human rights and the rule of law, where media freedom holds a significant place. Consequently, the fight for better conditions for journalists in Montenegro also contributes to advancing the country’s democratic development.