Editor, Freedom in the World and Freedom of the Press
June 8, 2016
Litigation seeking crippling financial damages from media outlets may be unusual in the United States, but such campaigns are all too common in the world’s less free media environments.
Despite the quiet reversal of hard-earned democratic gains in the Balkans over the last several years, the European Union accession process still seems to be stuck on autopilot.
In April, when you met with U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden at the White House, he expressed support for Montenegro’s aspirations to join the European Union and NATO and emphasized the importance of strengthening democratic institutions, including a free press. However, since that meeting, violations of press freedom have continued unabated and have led to an increasingly threatening environment for independent media in Montenegro.
