Lawyer Dalibor Tomović, candidate of 11 NGOs (Human Action (HRA), Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro, Center for Civic Education,  Center for Investigative Journalism, Centre for Research and Monitoring (CeMI), Center for Women and Peace Education – ANIMA, Institute Alternativa, Juventas, Network for Affirmation of NGO Sector – MANS, Women’s Safe House and Women’s Rights Centre, was elected as member of the Commission for monitoring the actions of competent authorities in investigations in cases of threats and violence against journalists, murders of journalists and attacks on a media property.

At the session held on Thursday, 30^th June 2016, the Government of Montenegro adopted the Decision on the establishment of the Commission on the proposal of the Minister of Interior Affairs Mr. Goran Danilović. The decision has not yet been published on the website of the Government because amendment of some parts of the text. It is known that the initial mandate of the Commission will last for two years, with the possibility of extension for another two if the Government consider it necessary. We hope that the Commission will have the necessary authority to work, i.e. that its members will be provided with unlimited access to data held by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, the State Prosecutor’s Office and the National Security Agency.

Previous Commission for the monitoring of operation of competent authorities in investigating the cases of threats and violence against journalists, murders of journalists and attacks on media property, whose mandate expired at the end of 2015, failed to achieve the main objective for which it had been established – to provide a comprehensive opinion on shortcomings in these investigations and manner in which they could have been improved based on the overview of investigations recognised as high-priority ones. For more information on the performance of that Commission, please consider HRA report “Operation of the commission for monitoring investigation of attacks against journalists: the citizens’ viewpoint”.