The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ), together with the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG), have today sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, to share their deep concerns over the court proceedings of freelance journalist Montenegrin journalist Jovo Martinović. With this letter, EFJ president Mogens Blicher Bjerregård and IFJ president Philippe Leruth are urging the Montenegrin authorities to consider his journalistic work as a possible explanation for his alleged contacts with drug traffickers.  Jovo Martinović had been detained on suspicion of participating in a drug trafficking ring since 22 October 2015. He has always defended that…

Media Clientelism Index (MCI) is the first cross country comparative and country specific reporting on the state of media clientelism and politicisation based on empirical data. Experimental research, i.e. ground zero measuring of the Index was conducted in six countries of South eastern Europe (Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, FYR of Macedonia, Republic of Serbia and Romania). The event is organised under the framework of Civil Response to Clientelism in Media – MEDIA CIRCLE project financed from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance by the European Union (IPA) Civil Society Facility (CSF), implemented by Partnership for Social Development (Croatia)…

The European Federations of Journalists (EFJ) and its members from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey (in picture) spoke out against media violations in their countries and call for more actions in a conference held on 4 November in Brussels by the European Commission (DG NEAR) to highlight the media freedom situation and progress made in Western Balkans and Turkey. A high-level meeting, the “Speak Up conference on Freedom of Expression and Media in the Western Balkans and Turkey” was kicked off by the European Commissioner in charge of European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, Mr Johannes Hahn. Unfortunately, hardly any progress is echoed by…

On Saturday (17/10/2015), the police in Montenegro violently broke peaceful protests and two journalists were subsequently detained. Drazen Zivkovic, a journalist working for the daily newspaper Dan and Gojko Raičević, the chief editor of an online news portal IN4S were detained after being obstructed from filming the police action against politicians from the opposition parties. Press photographers who came to the site of obstruction were also pushed by police and banned to report from the scene. Montenegro: Two journalists arrested with force at protest https://t.co/W23V35fuLy #MediaFreedom #ECPMF #mapmf — Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) October 20, 2015 “The Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG)…

A hundred of delegates and observers representing 49 journalist’s organisations in 35 countries participated, on 2nd June, in Budva, Montenegro, in the Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). They have urged governments in the Balkans to do more to uphold  media freedom and journalists’ rights. The meeting was hosted by the main EFJ affiliate in the country, the Trade Union Media of Montenegro (TUMM), and sponsored by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro. Some other relevant organisations, including the European Commission (DG Neighborhood and Enlargement negotiations), the Konrad- Adenauer- Stiftung and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), have contributed…

In a meeting with delegates of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on Friday 20 March 2015, the EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Mr. Johannes Hahn, has called for more progress made on press freedom in the West Balkans and Turkey. Commissioner Hahn expressed his concerns about media freedom in West Balkans and Turkey and pointed out that it was not satisfactory to see these countries receiving the same critical comments every year. He confirmed that the Commission considers media freedom as a fundamental right and as a key element in the transformation of countries into democratic…