Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 11/7/2025; Author: Jelena Jovanović
Having the same first and last name as someone suspected of committing a certain crime, participating in certain abuses, or simply ending up “on the other side” of the law will almost certainly bring you into an unpleasant situation. Then, understandably, comes the need to justify yourself, to explain that you are older or younger than the suspect, to state the names of your parents and other details of your private life, with one goal – to tell the public: “People, it’s not me.”
These are not exceptions, but have become the rule, as certain media and irresponsible individuals easily release the identities of persons suspected of involvement in fights, accidents, and even murders, often publishing the wrong photographs, causing harm to people who have absolutely nothing to do with those events.
We witnessed this recently, when Jelena Radonjic from Cetinje had to publicly react and declare that she had nothing to do with the incident that happened in front of the Temple of Christ’s Resurrection in Podgorica, in which two people were injured. Radonjic had previously experienced a lynching on social networks, simply because she has the same name and surname as the woman suspected of injuring two people with a car.
A similar example comes from the region; the targeted person is from Montenegro.
Let’s start with social media posts: in one Facebook post (archived), which was shared almost 300 times, has more than 870 reactions and over 300 comments, among other things, it says the following:
“Who is the policewoman who beat the student: Arrested in 2021 for embezzling one million euros
Tanja Drobnjak, deputy head of the Department for Equipment and Work Control in JZO, abused a student of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in front of the Faculty of Law. All this during the mass beating and arrest by the police…
It is little known that Tanja Drobnjak, born in Berane, was arrested on March 3, 2021, as reported by the Beta agency, as a member of the Ministry of Interior, on suspicion of abuse of office and negligent work, confirmed by the Police Directorate of Montenegro.
They were suspected of negligent work because of a tender for electronic surveillance of the state border, where more than one million euros from a European Union donation were embezzled.”
This claim is accompanied by a photo/screenshot taken from a video that was posted on social networks and in regional media (archived), which shows the incident with the student in front of the Faculty of Law in Belgrade during a police intervention over a traffic blockade. In the video, several individuals, whom Serbian media claim are police officers in civilian clothes, are seen pushing and pulling a young woman by her hair.
Among the police officers was a woman, whom lawyer Bozo Prelevic, appearing on the show “Dan uzivo” broadcast on N1 television, said was “a police officer named Mila Drobnjak,” and added that from Montenegro he learned that she was “accused there of serious embezzlement related to the procurement of cameras in Montenegro, as well as the destruction of evidence of irregularities in elections in Montenegro.”
In the article on the N1 portal (archived), published after Prelevic’s appearance, where his words were conveyed, it is stated that the lawyer said it was “policewoman Tanja Drobnjak,” although in the video it is clearly heard that Prelevic said – Mila Drobnjak.
The N1 article was carried by numerous media such as Nedeljnik (archived), Glas Javnosti (archived), Antena M (archived)…
In response to Prelevic’s statements, Tatjana Drobnjak, who is employed in the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro, stated today that the lawyer presented unverified and untrue information, which damaged her reputation, honor, and personal dignity.
“I, Tatjana Drobnjak, born in 1959 in Podgorica, employed in the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro, address the public regarding the text and video published on the N1 portal, and concerning the appearance of lawyer Bozo Prelevic on N1 television, in which the young police officer Mila Drobnjak was mentioned, while my name – Tatjana Drobnjak (in the text: Tanja Drobnjak) – was placed in a completely unfounded and negative context,” Drobnjak said in a statement delivered to the media (archived).
She added that for her, “as a 65-year-old woman who dedicated her entire working life to the service and institutions of the state of Montenegro, such treatment in the public sphere, without a single piece of evidence or foundation, represents shock, distress, and a deeply personal injury.”
It is clear that this is not an employee of the Montenegrin Ministry of Interior if one looks more closely at the photo or video, because it is evident that the woman shown in the footage is significantly younger.
On this occasion, Raskrinkavanje sent questions to the Police Directorate, and the answers, if delivered, will later be integrated into the text.
For objectivity, it is important to emphasize that most media outlets: N1 (archived), Nedeljnik (archived), Antena M (archived) published Drobnjak’s response; however, it is clear that the initial statement had a much greater impact on the public and ultimately led media consumers and social media users to a completely wrong conclusion.
Serbian Prosecutor’s Office determines the facts about the video
It was announced (archived) by the initiative “Kreni promeni” that the person in question is the deputy head of the Unit for the Protection of Persons and Facilities in the Serbian Ministry of Interior, Tanja Drobnjak, against whom they filed a criminal complaint.
Regarding this case, the competent prosecutor’s office also launched an investigation, but did not disclose who the participants in the incident were.
Nor has the Serbian Police Directorate officially released the identity of the participants in the incident.
It is clear that, although we are still waiting for official information, this is not Tatjana Drobnjak from Montenegro, the person whose name was mentioned along with the context that identified her.
Media reports and social media posts claiming that Tatjana Drobnjak, employed in the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro, participated in the incidents between police and students in Belgrade are rated as disinformation, because the facts indicate that this is not the same person, despite having the same name and surname as the one suspected of abusing students in Serbia.
The “Disinformation” rating is given to media reports that contain a “mix” of facts and inaccurate or partially true content. In such cases, media outlets may not necessarily be aware of the inaccurate information published alongside accurate details. Additionally, this rating will also apply to reports with false attributions or headlines that do not accurately reflect the content in terms of factual correctness.
