Media Union on death threat against Đuranović: We expect a swift and effective response from police and prosecutors
The Media Union of Montenegro strongly condemns the death threat made against Draško Đuranović, editor-in-chief and chief responsible editor of Television E, and calls on the authorities to immediately identify the person behind the threatening message and establish their responsibility.
The institutions, as they stressed, must send a clear message that journalists will not be left to fend for themselves when they become targets of threats and intimidation because of their professional work.
- We expect a swift and effective response from the police and the prosecution in this case - the union said in a statement.
They stressed that the case is particularly serious because the threat was posted below an opinion piece by Đuranović in which he commented on the fact that President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Andrija Mandić, had offered condolences following the death of war criminal Ratko Mladić. Mladić, they recalled, was finally convicted of genocide in Srebrenica, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
- We stress that journalists and media workers must have the right to freely report, analyse and comment on the actions of the highest state officials, as well as on all other matters of public interest, without fear of being subjected to threats to their lives and safety because of their work - the statement said.
They added that disagreement with a journalistic comment, editorial policy or reporting style is legitimate and can be expressed in numerous ways.
- Death threats are not, and cannot be, one of them. It is particularly dangerous when threats come in response to journalists addressing sensitive social issues, including war crimes, coming to terms with the past, and the actions of public officials, because such messages can have an intimidating effect on other journalists who cover these issues as well - the Media Union said.
The union has for some time been warning about increasingly frequent threats, insults and intimidation directed at journalists through social media and other online platforms.
- Such threats constitute a serious form of pressure and intimidation, regardless of whether they are made publicly or from anonymous accounts, and they can have serious consequences for the safety and sense of security of the journalists targeted - the Media Union said.