Institute Alternative strongly condemns attack on Tufik Softic, journalist of daily Vijesti and weekly Monitor. This case, as well as number of the so far unresolved assaults on journalists, proves that Montenegro is still not an environment in which the opinions can be publicly and openly stated and the issues relevant for the social reforms freely advocated.
Given the pressures which these assaults and threats create onto the all government critics, we urge the authorities to conduct urgent and efficient investigation of the attack on Softic, as well as to resolve and prosecute all the so far cases of assaults on media and journalists. Only by doing so, they will create preconditions for freedom of expression to be guaranteed. There is no democratization of society without the media freedom, neither without the open debate about the significant issues, such as fight against corruption and organized crime. The negotiations with the EU on the Chapters 23, dealing with judiciary and fundamental rights, should have a positive impact onto the media freedom in Montenegro if the resolution of numerous attacks on journalists is defined as one of the criteria for the progress in these talks. Condemnation of these attacks by all free-minded people can also have the same positive effect.
