The SafeJournalists Network expresses its grave concern and strongly condemns the violent assault on photojournalists Boris Pejović (Vijesti) and Stevo Vasiljević (Pobjeda), which occurred on August 8, 2025, in a village near Berane, in the north of Montenegro.
The incident took place during a politically sensitive event — the removal of a monument to Chetnik[i] commander and convicted war criminal Pavle Đurišić. While documenting the event, the journalists were physically attacked by several individuals, subjected to death threats, forced to delete recorded materials, and, in one case, forcibly taken into a tent where intimidation and violence continued.
We are gravely troubled by this act of violence. The use of physical force, threats, destruction of professional equipment, and coercion of journalists in the line of duty constitute a gross violation of media freedoms and basic human rights.
The Montenegrin police announced that they had arrested five individuals in connection with today’s attack on two journalists from Vijesti and Pobjeda. They stated that additional measures are being undertaken to identify all participants in the attack and that one person, whose identity is known, is being actively sought.
However, despite the fact that the perpetrators have been arrested, it is deeply concerning that the police did not react in a timely manner to prevent the incident, even though it was clear that tensions at such an event could escalate. Such inability or unwillingness to protect journalists proactively undermines the role of public institutions and emboldens those who seek to silence critical reporting through violence.
“This attack is not just a physical assault on two of our colleagues — it is a message to all journalists that they are not welcome where the truth doesn’t fit someone’s narrative. That is deeply alarming and extremely dangerous. If we allow incidents like this to be swept under the rug, we will soon face a reality where journalists are exposed to even greater risks, with no protection whatsoever,” said Radomir Kračković, president of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro.
The SafeJournalists Network believes that this is not an isolated case but part of a broader and deeply troubling trend of increasing hostility towards journalists across the Western Balkans. Political polarization, inflammatory rhetoric, and institutional passivity are creating a hostile environment in which violence against the press is becoming normalized.
The SafeJournalists Network calls on Montenegrin authorities to immediately and thoroughly investigate this incident and bring all perpetrators to justice.
We also call on political leaders to unequivocally condemn the attack and publicly distance themselves from any form of pressure or violence against the media.
The SafeJournalists Network will inform national and international stakeholders about this incident and will continue to monitor the situation.
Every attack on journalists is an attack on democracy, the public interest, and fundamental human rights.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica, August 8, 2025
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
[i] The Chetniks were a Serbian nationalist movement active during World War II, some units of which collaborated with Axis forces and were implicated in war crimes.
