The Media Council for Self-Regulation (MSS) strongly condemns the brutal and dangerous attempts to criminalize journalistic work and target media outlets that report professionally, responsibly, and critically on social and political issues.
Linking journalists and media organizations with alleged criminal structures, without proven facts, represents a direct attack on media freedom, freedom of expression, and the public’s right to know.
Following the publication of a text citing claims from the Special State Prosecutor’s Office that businessman Aleksandar Mijajlović “created a network of media” with the aim of targeting dissenters, it is particularly concerning that independent and critical media — which for decades have contributed to the development of democratic society, transparency, and pluralism — are being mentioned in the same context.
Such narratives are not only unfounded — they are dangerous and harmful, as they create the impression that free media are enemies of the state and that journalists are accomplices in crime.
This is an unacceptable attempt to stigmatize, intimidate, and silence journalists who refuse to conform to controlled narratives and the propaganda of powerful structures. Journalistic criticism is a regulatory mechanism in democratic societies, not a criminal offense.
According to international standards, including Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the recommendations of the Council of Europe, journalists have the right to gather information from various sources — politicians, businesspeople, officials, citizens — and that is not, and cannot be, a criminal act.
The Convention clearly states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to receive and impart information without interference by public authorities.
The mere act of obtaining information, even from persons later suspected of illegal activities, is not unlawful — unless a journalist directly participates in their acquisition.
We remind that journalists are not obliged to disclose their sources and that communication with sources cannot serve as evidence of participation in any criminal activity.
Any interference with this right constitutes a serious violation of freedom of expression and fundamental democratic principles.
It is particularly scandalous that the indictment alleges that “media outlets and meme pages discredited politicians and clergy.”
Such an approach clearly reveals an attempt to portray critical and investigative journalism as a hostile activity and to reduce freedom of expression to obedience.
In a democratic society, criticism, satire, and public scrutiny of those in power do not represent “discreditation” — they are the very essence of media freedom.
These kinds of qualifications aim to label independent and critical media as “hostile,” thereby creating an atmosphere of lynching and pressure — an extremely dangerous precedent for media freedom in Montenegro.
The Media Council for Self-Regulation warns that such discourse, coming from state institutions, fosters an environment of threat, self-censorship, and fear, discourages journalists from publishing information of public interest, and pushes Montenegro decades backward in terms of media freedoms.
Ranko Vujović
Executive Secretary
Media Council for Self-Regulation
