Montenegro: Multiple Journalists Threatened with Rape, CFWIJ Denounces Attacks and Authorities Inaction
Five women journalists targeted
Location: Montenegro, Podgorica
Date: December 14, 2023
The Coalition For Women In Journalism and Women Press Freedom strongly condemns recent threats of rape directed at journalists Danica Nikolić, Tamara Nikčević, Bojana Dabović, Mirka Dević, and Slavica Kruščić Vasović. Editor of M portal, Danica Nikolić has been receiving threats for over a year. Despite reporting to police and the perpetrator being identified, there have been no charges or arrests. This latest series of threats highlights the urgent need for police and the prosecutor’s office to treat this case with the utmost seriousness and expedite their investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.
On December 14, 2023, Danica Nikolić, the chief editor of M portal, disclosed that she is once again facing serious threats, this time including reprehensible rape threats. Her journalist colleagues Tamara Nikčević, Bojana Dabović, Mirka Dević, and Slavica Kruščić Vasović have also been targeted, presenting a distressing pattern of intimidation.
Nikolić expressed her dismay at the failure of Montenegrin institutions, particularly the prosecutor's office, to address both the earlier case of death threats and the current threats of sexual violence against her and her colleagues. She says that these threats consistently originate from the same address and coincide with instances where politicians from the former government, notably led by Dritan Abazović, target the media outlet.
The former Prime Minister has repeatedly associated critical media outlets such as Pobjeda, Grad TV, Portal Analitika, CDM, and E TV with criminal gangs. He even went so far as to threaten Grad TV with shutdown, further exacerbating the precarious situation for journalists in Montenegro.
Despite the police identifying the person responsible for the initial death threats against Nikolić last year, the prosecutor's office has yet to conclude the case. Nikolić criticized the sluggish response of the prosecutor's office to threats against journalists, pointing out a stark contrast in their reactions to reports filed by the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) against civic activists.
In response to threats in October 2022, the Special Police Department initiated a case due to the criminal offense of endangering safety. While the IP address of the threat sender has been identified, details about the investigation are limited due to the protection of procedural interests.
Nikolić remains skeptical about authorities taking effective action against those threatening the press.
“Such actions are an insult to common sense and the legitimization of violence. And those in charge evidently lack the strength and will to deal with it”
"It is clear to me that if the prosecutor's office ever completes the investigation, the person making threats will claim to be 'hacked,' 'operated on,' or that an 85-year-old grandmother wrote from his account, and that will be the end of the case for the institutions, as has happened countless times before. Such actions are an insult to common sense and the legitimization of violence, and those in charge evidently lack the strength and will to deal with it," Nikolić expresses.
Nikolić has announced her intention to seek a meeting with the police, Ministry of Internal Affairs, prosecutor's office, and Ministry of Justice to discuss the progress made and the measures in place to ensure the safety of journalists.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism and Women Press Freedom denounces the horrific threats of sexual violence targeting Danica Nikolić, Tamara Nikčević, Bojana Dabović, Mirka Dević, and Slavica Kruščić Vasović. Montenegrin authorities have made little progress in charging those responsible for previous threats against Nikolić, and now attacks have escalated. We urgently call on the prosecutor’s office to promptly investigate these cases, underscoring the imperative for accountability and justice in addressing threats against journalists.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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