Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has condemned the latest arson attack on a car displaying the colours of the Podgorica-based daily Vijesti on the night of July 23. It was the third such attack on a Vijesti vehicle in the space of a week .
In the latest incident, an unidentified individual tried to set fire to a Vijesti car parked on the street but a policeman who happened to be nearby intervened and managed to put out the fire. The attacker was able to escape.
Vijesti editor Mihailo Jovovic told RSF: “It is definitely not a madman who does not like white cars with blue letters. It is clearly related to the Vijesti logo that is to be found on most of our cars. But if you were to believe the prime minister and police chief, these are just isolated acts by an irresponsible person that have nothing to do with media work.”
RSF reiterated its call to the authorities to order a serious investigation and to give it enough resources so that both the perpetrators and instigators of these attacks on a leading national daily can be identified.
“We are clearly not dealing with random vandalism or unfortunate coincidences,” RSF said. “These are systematic attacks designed to sow fear within a news organization and, beyond that, within the entire profession. By directly attacking a national daily, those responsible are sending a warning to all the media. A lax response by the authorities to these threats would be irresponsible.”
