Human Rights Action (HRA) expresses its satisfaction regarding the exoneration of Mr. Mihailo Jovović, Daily Vijesti editor, from charges that he injured the mayor’s driver Dragan Radonjić in the incident, which occurred during journalists’ attempt to make photo of illegally parked car of the mayor of Podgorica in August 2009.

The decision of the Deputy Basic State Prosecutor in Podgorica to prosecute at any cost the journalist for alleged infliction of light bodily injury to the mayor’s driver caused unnecessary waste of resources, energy and time in order to put the state prosecution in the service of reputation-saving of the mayor and his retinue.

This assessment is not excessive especially if one considers that in some other cases state prosecutors turned their heads away from the medical records stating beatings with batons, while in this case, by all means, they insisted on proving fictitious injuries at the expense of the journalist.

The case will also be remembered by its qualification of the alleged offense. The alleged punch with a hand, holding a mobile or voice recorder, was considered as “infliction of injury with a tool apt for heavy bodily injury” in order to prosecute journalists ex officio, even though in some other cases, the state prosecutors did not resort to same qualification in cases where light injuries were inflicted by wooden sticks and batons.

This case has shown how far the state prosecutor is prepared to go to protect the powerful, thereby making sure that, even if they are obviously guilty, they are not the only ones in the dock.

It is high time for honest professionals to regain the public trust in the competences of the state prosecution to ensure the rule of law and protect human rights, especially from those in power, such as state and local officials or their agents.