The State and Institutions Deliberately Leave Journalists at the Mercy of Abusers

Danica Nikolić, editor of M Portal, has once again received death threats, from the same address and the same perpetrator who has been sending threats for the past three years. Although the police long ago identified the user of the email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., who signs as “Bane LA,” and although the prosecution opened a case three years ago, the case has remained stagnant.

Such inefficiency of the judiciary and police led Nikolić, after the most recent threat in July, to declare that she would no longer report any of them, since it is pointless.

In such an atmosphere, journalists and all media employees cannot feel safe - not when they receive threats of being hanged, raped, or shot by a sniper, nor when they report from the field. We remind that colleagues Boris Pejović and Stevo Vasiljević in Gornje Zaostro were physically assaulted by more than 20 individuals simply because they attempted to photograph the removal of a monument to war criminal and Chetnik vojvoda Pavle Đurišić.

The current atmosphere in the media scene openly encourages the spread of fear and self-censorship among journalists, directly undermining free and professional journalism in Montenegro. This climate is no coincidence - it serves those who want to silence critical voices and protect their own interests.

The Media Council for Self-Regulation calls on the competent institutions to urgently put an end to passivity and to ensure the protection of journalists from threats and violence. Every further threat that remains unpunished will be proof that the state is not only powerless but also complicit in suppressing media freedom.

The Media Council for Self-Regulation strongly condemns the new threats against Danica Nikolić, as well as the inaction of the institutions, whose silence and passivity empower the abusers. This situation is ideal for those who want critical voices in Montenegro to be silenced.

Ranko Vujović
Executive Secretary
Media Council for Self-Regulation