February 18, 2019 - Tivat businessman Rado Gago Arsic on Friday, 15 February threatened Dragan Popadic, the director of the local Radio Tivat. Popadic reported it to the police, who met with the state prosecutor at the Basic State Prosecution in Kotor. The prosecutor pleaded not to have elements of the criminal offense in Arsic's conduct, and the police against him filed a misdemeanor complaint about the repression of public order and peace. The case sharply condemned the Union of Local Public Broadcasters of Montenegro ( ULES CG ), as well as the Union of Media and the Union of Information, Publishing and Graphic Activities.
"Returning from the City Chapel, at a nearby parking lot, Rado Arsic called Gago, stopped me wanting to talk about Radio Tivat's writing about the court case leading his family. Ironically, Radio Tivat did not even write about it, but this case was interesting for another media. I refused to talk to him and continued to walk. He followed me, grabbed my hand and began to threaten me that I will pay him when I go to retire. I said I would report it to the police, and he replied: "Just try it." I submitted it with the police who was very professional. I am sure they will handle this case professionally," Popadic said immediately after the incident.
After the announcement of Popadic, the police took a statement from Arsic. He denied that he had threatened Popadic not to dispute that he had stopped him and talked with him about reporting to Radio Tivat.
The state prosecutor in Kotor pleaded Arsic's conduct not to have any elements of the criminal offense. Accordingly, as well as facts, the Security Department Tivat will file a misdemeanor report against Arsic for misdemeanor offenses on public order and peace.
The Union of Local Public Broadcasters of Montenegro strongly condemned the attack on the vice president of the board of directors of this association and director of Radio Tivat, Dragan Popadic.
One of the founders of ULES CG, a longtime member of the Steering Committee and a director of the local public broadcaster, a prominent journalist and publicist, reported to the police that a citizen for alleged media reporting attacked him.
"We appeal to the authorities to examine allegations and protect the freedom of information and the integrity of journalists, and we expect them to react adequately," ULES said in a statement immediately after the incident.
"It is unacceptable for journalists to cross the streets and threaten them on any ground. As a result, as in all similar or more serious situations that took place in Montenegro, we stand in defense of the profession and freedom of the media. Particularly note that this is not the first time that there are pressures on members of our association, directors, and journalists, whether verbal or through disseminating and submitting disinformation, "noted ULES.
"Considering that Popadic, as a representative of the ULES CG, is a member of the Working Group for Drafting the Law on Electronic Media, we propose that part of this document should be deported to guarantee the protection of the journalist profession and personality. We have for many years demanded the protection of citizens from the misuse of the media for various purposes,” according to a statement by ULES, signed by the Chairman of the Management Board of this organization, Dragic Rabrenovic.
"The Media Union and the Union of Information, Publishing and Graphic Activities have been worried about receiving the news of Radio Tivat's director, Dragan Popadic, and most strongly condemn this event," the two unions said on Saturday.
"And this case shows that despite many years of warnings from the UN, European Commission, foreign diplomatic representations and other relevant addresses, the security of journalists in Montenegro is steadily declining. At the same time, the number of attacks on journalists exponentially increases, as evidenced by the case in Tivat, where the director of one of the most successful Montenegrin local broadcasters fighting for independence and objectivity in reporting attacked local businessman Rado Arsic. Surprisingly, the attack did not occur because of dissatisfaction with the text or the reporting of this local broadcaster, but because of the interest of a court process in which this person is intensely involved.
This is enough to tell how much the environment in Montenegro is currently safe for independent journalists. The many years of tolerance of journalist attacks and weak results in detecting and prosecuting perpetrators create a climate in which the environment for independent journalism is completely jeopardized by warnings and all international representatives when speaking of media freedom in Montenegro.
The Media Union and the Union of Information, Publishing and Graphic Industries, therefore, ask the police and judicial bodies to prove that they will not tolerate the violence against journalists. They ask the state of Montenegro will show in practice that creating a safe environment for the journalistic profession is one of the fundamental prerequisites for the development of democracy," highlighted in a joint statement the Media Union and the Union of Information, Publishing and Graphic Activities.
