As delivered by Jason Mack
29th Session of the Human Rights Council’s UPR
Geneva, January 22, 2018
Thank you, Madam Vice President.
The United States warmly welcomes the Montenegrin delegation to the UPR Working Group.
We welcome Montenegro’s establishment of a commission to monitor investigations into attacks and threats against journalists, but we are concerned that it has failed to advance these investigations.
We are concerned that the Parliament’s reshuffling of the public broadcaster’s governing council has endangered its editorial independence.
The United States is also discouraged by the continued discrimination and violence against members of minority groups, especially Roma and members of the LGBTI community.
Bearing in mind these concerns, we recommend that Montenegro:
- Fully investigate and bring to justice perpetrators of attacks and serious threats targeting journalists, civil society activists, and minority groups;
- Shield media from political interference by strengthening independent oversight for the Agency for Electronic Media and the public broadcaster’s governing council;
- Allocate additional financial resources to implement the Strategy for Social Inclusion of Roma and Balkan Egyptians.
Thank you.