Bečić congratulates World Press Freedom Day

On the occasion of 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, I extend my congratulations to all journalists in Montenegro.

Press freedom represents one of the cornerstones of democracy, promoting freedom of thought and expression. Therefore, journalists' work must be guided solely by principles of truth and social responsibility, and under no circumstances should it be a result of political manipulation leading to citizen misinformation.

The murder of Duško Jovanović, who paid with his life for his freedom and professional courage to publicly address the most severe social deviance, remains unsolved to this day, making it the most drastic example of an attack on press and media freedom. Additionally, we have witnessed numerous threats, assaults, property destruction of media outlets, and attacks on journalists, all constituting an assault on the very foundations of our freedom of expression and the democratic values of our society.

Therefore, we commit to continue protecting press freedom and creating an environment in which journalists can freely and safely carry out their activities. The adoption of laws promoting media freedom in line with EU best practices is one of the key steps in this regard.

Confident that we are entering an era of positive changes in the field of press freedom and the pursuit of democratic values, I once again thank all journalists for their contribution to building a more transparent society and wish them a happy World Press Freedom Day.