Ivanovic received the award for his story ‘Big Brother: Montenegro’s Interior Ministry purchased Israeli facial recognition software’. BIRN’s investigation revealed that Montenegrin Interior Ministry bought a facial recognition software product called ‘Better Tomorrow’ and deployed it in public spaces in the capital Podgorica and the coastal towns of Bar and Budva.
Following the story’s publication, the Agency for Personal Data Protection banned the use of the software.
“This investigation was the result of several months of work involving the analysis and processing of documents obtained mainly through freedom of information requests, which once again proves how essential this tool is for investigative journalism,” Ivanovic said.
The second prize was shared by daily Pobjeda journalist Jovan Nikitovic for his investigation of abuses during the reconstruction of a museum in the town of Bijelo Polje.
The first prize was awarded to TV channel Vijesti for the documentary ‘Target: Montenegro – A State of Relatives’. The documentary investigates cases of relatives of state and local officials being employed within the public administration.
The third prize went to Podgorica-based anti-corruption NGO, ‘MANS’ for its investigation into the assets of former National Security Agency official Dusko Golubovic.
The competition recognised the best investigative stories published in Montenegro during 2024, with 34 entries submitted.