Human Rights Action expresses its concern regarding the decision of the management of the Public Broadcasting Service of the Radio and Television of Montenegro not to extend the contract to its journalist, Marko Milačić, who has been publicly recognized as news anchor and an outspoken critic of the government.

After Milačič joined the protest rallies of groups of citizens in April this year and then was suspended, there were conflicting opinions about the nature of his suspension, while the management of the Television of Montenegro claimed that his political views are not the reason of suspension and that his career as a journalist is going upwards.

However, the latest events, in the absence of other publicly stated reasons, lead to a conclusion that Milačić’s political stance is actually a reason for his, now definite, removal from the Public Broadcasting Service and represents a warning to all the others not to express their opinion.

The public service is foreseen as a service of all the citizens regardless of their political beliefs and as such would have to provide employment also to those who not only do not support political parties in power, but also criticize them publicly.