Montenegrin journalist and director of the organization BIRN Montenegro, Vuk Maras, announced that he was banned from entering Serbia today at the “Nikola Tesla” Airport in Belgrade, from where he was supposed to continue his journey to Rome.
Maras stated on Facebook that he was traveling to the Italian capital via Belgrade, and that during a longer layover between flights, he planned to leave the airport and go to the city center. However, during passport control, the police detained him for about an hour and a half.
As he stated, after that, he was handed a Decision on Refusal of Entry into the Republic of Serbia, with an explanation relating to a ban on entering the country.
“At this moment, I am waiting for a flight to Podgorica, in some Police office, so that they can deport me,” Maras wrote, adding that he was verbally informed that he would be returned on a flight to Podgorica.
He believes that this is a continuation of, as he stated, “reciprocal measures” by Belgrade against people from the media community in Montenegro.
“I believe that I ‘earned’ this ban due to criticisms regarding media freedom in Serbia that I publicly expressed in the media in Montenegro. And behind which, of course, I stand one hundred percent,” Maras wrote.
He pointed out that he opposes entry bans as a political response, stating that such measures do not contribute to solving problems.
“I do not think that entry bans bring anything good to anyone. Institutional solutions, which have a long-term effect, are needed against propaganda and media poisoning, which these bans are not,” he said.
He added that he sees no basis on which he could represent any threat to Serbia.
“Since a parallel universe in which I could be any kind of danger to the state of Serbia or any of its residents truly does not exist, it will be my great pleasure to process this entry ban decision before the competent court,” Maras stated.
He assessed that such decisions will not silence journalists and researchers dealing with corruption and organized crime.
“All those who think they will scare or silence us who fight against corruption and organized crime in this way must understand that the old regime in Montenegro did not succeed in doing so, so neither will anyone else. We are used to this, no worries. There is no lack of energy, nor of courage,” Maras concluded.
Maras is another in a series of Montenegrin journalists and public figures who have been prevented from entering Serbia in the previous period.
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Source: Nova.rs; Photo: Printscreen Facebook