The Centre For Human Rights & Democracy (CEDEM) in Podgorica

HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE MONTENEGRIN MEDIA

Monitoring period: May 2000

• Introduction

Almost all the attention of the Montenegrin state and private media in May was dedicated to post-electoral negotiations on the establishment of the government and conflicts on the position of Montenegro as a state.

Consequently, media gave very little space to other things. In fact, only one per cent of inner political sections in Montenegrin dailies was dedicated to subjects other than party negotiations or consultations concerning the composition of the new government. State electronic media gave even less space to human rights issues.

Refugees and their rights failed to hit the cover pages of the state daily Pobjeda the private dailies Vijesti, Dan, or the newly launched Glas Crnogorca during the analysed period. However, these newspapers - especially Vijesti - did publish articles taken from foreign newspapers and agencies about incidents concerning human rights violations in Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (for example, the violent anti-Islamic demonstrations in reaction to laying the cornerstones of the mosques in Trebinje and Banja Luka).

Even here, the political division of Montenegrin society was obvious: while Vijesti was reporting on the fierce reactions in Bosnia and across the world on the events in Trebinje and Banja Luka, Glas Crnogorca (close in ideology to the coalition "Together for Yugoslavia") sent a symbolic message on the same events. Through the headline "Instead of Islamic [flag] - Serbian Flag" (front cover, May 24), they implied the incident concerned political attitudes rather than severe violation of human rights in the neighbouring country.

Generally there was a small number of headlines on human rights violations within Montenegro.

• Politics, Human Rights and Media: Violation of the Right to Engage in Politics

In May, the daily newspaper Dan presented a specific form of human rights violation, previously unheard of in Montenegro. The newspaper, which is managed by Momir Bulatovic's "Socialist National Party (SNP), published a large number of articles on the 'violation of the human rights of voters after the Montenegrin parliamentary elections". From 6 - 12 of May, Dan emphasised in many texts that the Republic Electoral Committee was interpreting the law wrongly, which prevented the SNP from participating in the Montenegrin parliament. According to an editorial opinion, the human rights of those who voted for the SNP were thus violated. On 1 May, Dan announced the complaint of the SNP had been submitted to the Montenegrin Constitutional Court, and also to the International Court for Human Rights Protection in Strasbourg. Over the following days it published several articles of eminent SNP officials who offered proofs for the violation of SNP voters' human rights. Other media did not pay special attention to this case, except for minimal information on the attitudes of Bulatovic's party: Vijesti noted the SNP complaint to the Strasbourg Court (3 May), as did Glas Crnogorca.

• Co-operation with The Hague - is it a violation of the Federal Constitution and Yugoslav citizens' rights?

Coverage of the co-operation between FRY and the Hague Tribunal was stepped up in Montenegrin media during May. While other Montenegrin media, both state and private covered the topic through parties' relationships within Montenegro and the FRY, Dan interpreted the initiative for co-operation with The Hague as an "act against law and ethics which most seriously violates the Yugoslav citizens' rights" (Dan - May, 12, 14, 18).

• Refugees in Montenegro: Violation of Human Rights

Since the refugee crisis during 1999, when more than 100 000 refugees found shelter in Montenegro during the NATO raids, the conviction that Montenegro is an "ideal oasis" for troubled people who have been left without a home in their homelands has been prominent in local and international commentary. However, Montenegrin media indicated that the situation is not even close to ideal, and that in Montenegro, too, refugees are exposed to pressures that could be classified as open violations of human rights.

Vijesti daily (3 May) reported that the managing team of the infamous Trepca mine in Kosovo, had submitted a criminal charge against seven refugee families lodged in Meljine near Herceg Novi. The short article explained how the Trepca management asked the Montenegrin state to evict the refugees, as they 'usurp the company's resort'. The same information was carried the following day by the state daily Pobjeda, but the other Montenegrin dailies, and the state electronic media remained silent on the subject.

Two days later (5 May) through a separate commentary, Pobjeda asks: "Why do Montenegrin collective centers cancel hospitality to refugees?" In the article under the headline "In Front of the Closed Door" it was emphasised that from December 2000 not a single pfennig had been paid to collective centers for reception of refugees in Montenegro, and the appeal of Djordije Scepanovic, the Republic Commissar for Refugees, was also quoted. Scepanovic emphasised that the blockade of the state "Montenegrobanka" had halted the regular inflow of money to the account of The Refugee Commissariat, thus bringing Montenegrin collective centers to a "critical situation".

The news which appeared on 10 May in Vijesti came as a real sensation. The newspaper announced that the Church Municipality of Kumbor asked 50 000 DEM from the Montenegrin state as compensation money for refugees staying at their property. Next day, the representatives of the mentioned municipality denied this information in the Glas Crnogorca.

The independent weekly Monitor an issue to this topic - the church attitude towards refugees (Monitor, no. 552; May, 18; supra-title: When the Church Charges Charity; the cover picture: Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Amfilohije, with a cross in his hands). The refugees' accusations- with full names - were given in the report from Kumbor. They criticised the Serbian Orthodox Church fiercely for its intention to force them out from the church land. Monitor comments "Forcing refugees out from the church land is not in any way related with Christianity. The mission of the church in the first place should be mercy, help to those who are in trouble. But, the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro has for a long time been more of a political than spiritual institution. Today, it forces out people from its property for whose destiny, to a certain degree, it is responsible, as one of the most persistent promoters of unification of holy Serbian countries - of politics which burned the Balkans and left millions of people without homes".

• Media, State and Violation of Human Rights

The daily Dan was the publication which, during the analysed period, gave most attention to the relationship of the Montenegrin state and individuals. In several issues, the newspaper addressed the destiny of the former FRY and Serbia president Slobodan Miloševic, openly supporting him. "Thwart the fatal outcome of Milosevic's sickness and do not be an accomplice in his silent murder" beside which headline Dan published a full page appeal of the Republic and federal deputies, numerous doctors "to the widest public in Serbia and the FRY".

However, apart from supporting the legal treatment of the prisoner Slobodan Miloševic, Dan also twice described cases when state officials acted outside their remits, and caused drastic violations of human rights. In an article entitled "Who Beat in the Corridors?" Dan described the behaviour of members of Montenegro's police force who, according to their sources, beat citizens in Berane. "Slavko Djurovic, Vladan Lazovic and Mirko Kalezic were suspected to have been in one of the three-member teams, composed of well trained policemen. The logistics man, a policeman of extraordinary strength, trained in Italy, was a certain Brajusko Brajuskovic," wrote Dan, confirming that policemen had beaten citizens who publicly supported the survival of Yugoslavia. This information was denied as soon as the next day by those mentioned who stated that it was all just a lie. After this denial, Dan did not write about this case any more, nor has any other media paid it any attention.

source: http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr/bcr_20010711_1_hr_eng.txt 
published by: Roland Brunner rbr@medienhilfe.ch date of release on this site: 16-08-2001

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