Provisions of the Criminal Code should be tightened in order to protect journalists

The Criminal Code of Montenegro should be amended in order to better protect journalists and media workers, the meeting between representatives of the Government and the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG) noted. Advisers to the Deputy Prime Minister Filip Adžić and Miloš Perišić, as well as Vice President of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro Radomir Kračković, President of the Trade Union of Radio and Television of Montenegro Jadranka Drobnjak and Expert Associate Dražen Đurašković attended the meeting.

Vice President of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro Radomir Kračković informed the representatives of the Government about their activities, whose focus is on improving the socioeconomic position of media employees, but also their safety. Kračković referred to the problem of frequent attacks on journalists, three of which occurred recently, pointing to the problem of impunity, i.e. the fact that the most serious attacks remain unsolved. Therefore, the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro supported the initiative of the Human Rights Action (HRA) to amend the Criminal Code in order to protect journalists under criminal law, by prescribing new criminal offences for attacks on journalists, but also by tightening penal policy.

Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister Filip Adžić said that the media are an important factor in every society and that the Government should make a key contribution in order to improve the environment in which journalists have been working for decades. Speaking about the difficult position of the media, Adžić also referred to the annual reports of international organisations, which clearly speak about the decade-long lack of media freedom in Montenegro. Adžić emphasised that the first democratic change of government in Montenegro's history is a good starting point in order for the state to address the problems of journalists and media workers in the coming period, but also to shed light on unsolved cases of attacks on journalists.

Both sides noted the bad situation in the media and agreed that penalties must be tightened in order to improve the safety of media employees.

President of the Trade Union of Radio and Television of Montenegro Jadranka Drobnjak informed the meeting attendees about the current problems that the workers in the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) have, the debts of RTCG towards them and, in general, about the current situation in that media house.

Representatives of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro also presented the current activities when it comes to the announced changes in media legislation and the development of the Media Strategy of the Government of Montenegro, which they discussed with Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media Tamara Srzentić.

The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss the problems of employees in the local media, and especially the financial sustainability and political influences on local public broadcasters.

Adžić stressed that the Deputy Prime Minister's Office is open to all proposals concerning legislative changes, which will ultimately mean an improvement of conditions in which journalists work.