Montenegrin Police Investigates Attack on Journalists

Police are investigating an attack on sports journalist Radovan Papic and his editor Veselin Drljevic in Podgorica on Saturday afternoon.

Papic and Drljevic, who work for the Dan newspaper, were in a car when hooligans blocked their way. "They surrounded us and started throwing snowballs containing rocks at us," Drljevic told the Vijesti daily. When he left the car, he was beaten by the group of young men. Papic was pelted with snowballs after he got out of the car.

The Dnevne Novine daily reported on Monday that police had identified three of the hooligans and criminal charges against them have been filed .

"We are doing everything possible to help solve this case," the Montenegrin police press office told Balkan Insight.

The Journalists’ Association of Montenegro condemned the attack, the motive of which is still unkown.

"We ask authorities to say who stands behind this brutal act, hoping that we won’t just hear the familiar statement when it comes to attacks on journalists – 'an investigation is under way'," Ranko Pavicevic, the association's vice-chariman.