Montenegro Activists Seek Outside Help on Editor’s Unsolved Murder

The car of Montenegrin editor Dusko Jovanovic, who was murdered by an unidentified gunman in front of his office in Podgorica on May 27, 2004. Photo: EPA-EFE/SASA MARICIC

"Despite the insufficient results conduct of the current state prosecutor's office, the investigation has not been thoroughly reviewed. It was also not examined whether the police did everything necessary to protect Jovanovic," said Tea Gorjanc Prelevic, from the NGO Human Rights Action.

"The fact that the murder of the founder and editor-in-chief of a media outlet critical of the government happened at all endangers freedom of expression and the rule of law in Montenegro," she added.  "We hope that hiring a foreign expert will prevent further wastes of time in the search for truth and justice."

Jovanovic, editor-in-chief and owner of the daily newspaper Dan, and well known for his opposition to the current government, was shot dead on leaving his office in Podgorica on May 27, 2004. He had received numerous death threats before his death.

Shortly after his assassination, the government offered a 1-million euro reward for information about the killing. But it never revealed whether anyone offered any relevant data that helped the investigation. In June 2016, the government offered a reward again.

The current editor of Dan, Nikola Markovic, said there was a lack of political will to bring the story about the journalist's murder to a proper conclusion.

"Because of all that, the culprits should be sought at the very top of the government," he said.  "After all, it was this government that created the atmosphere of lynching of independent journalists who open up any of he numerous scandals documenting the connection between government and organized crime...