Bomb explodes outside journalist’s house in Montenegro

An explosive device detonated outside the Berane home of Tufik Softic on the night of August 11, 2013, according to news reports.

The Guardian reported that Softic and his family were inside the house when the blast occurred. Nobody was reported injured.

It is not clear whether the incident is connected to Softic’s journalism. Softic is the regional correspondent for the independent Podgorica-based newspaper Vijesti and a contributor to the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The South East Europe Media Organization released a statement on August 12, 2013, that said that Softic has been attacked in the past after reporting on organized crime in Montenegro. In November 2007, unidentified assailants brutally beat the journalist outside his house, the statement said. No one was brought to justice, the organization said.

News accounts reported that local authorities in Berane were investigating the most recent attack. Rasko Konjevic, Montenegrin interior minister, told Softic that he would personally oversee the probe, the reports said.

International organizations, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union’s delegation to Montenegro condemned the attack, and urged the authorities to provide protection to Softic.