| Freedom House: Montenegro’s press “partly free” |
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 Despite the country’s gradual evolution into a genuine democracy, Montenegro’s press is still ranked as only, “partly free,” according to the latest report from Freedom House. Mongolia and East Timor tied Montenegro for the 81st position in a survey of 195 countries. Last year Montenegro ranked 80th along with Croatia and Bolivia. Freedom House’s Dr. Karin Deutsch Karlekar explained that the 2004 murder of Dusko Jovanovic, the editor of the Dan daily, was a contributing factor to Montenegro’s poor ranking. The only person to be tried in Jovanovic’s murder was found not guilty in the first stage of the trial. The Supreme Court has ordered a new investigation into the individual’s possible role in the murder. The report sites another violent attack on a journalist that also remains unsolved. “We generally find that such unpunished attacks are a sign that they will continue,” Karlekar told Montenegrin daily Vijesti. Karlekar said that substantial awards of 14,000 euros and higher in defamation actions against journalists and media organs have created an atmosphere of libel chill that results in journalists censoring themselves. At press time the Montenegro Times attempted to contact Karlekar for further elaboration but the Dr. was making a presentation to the United Nations in New York and was not able to return the call. Montenegro rated better than Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia but behind Slovenia and Croatia. Finland and Iceland tied as the countries with the most press freedom in the world, while Burma topped only North Korea in the survey. ``If I had to choose between having a nation with a government but no press, or a nation with a press but no government, I will select the latter without hesitation.'' Thomas Jefferson
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