Ruling Party's Vicious Attack on Republican Information Comissioner

Sabic: Large Number of Citizens See Election Campaign Activities as Privacy Violation

The ruling Serbian Progressive Party performed a vicious attack in the Serbian Parliament on July 10, against the former commissioner for access to information of importance to the public and protection of personal data, Rodoljub Sabic.

During the debate on the report about the work of the commissioner, the whip of the Serbian Progressive Party, Aleksandar Martinovic, said that "as the end of his mandate approached, Sabic turned more and more into a classic politician, acting openly, and primarily, against Aleksandar Vucic, the ministers and MPs from the Serbian Progressive Party."

He also accused Sabic of being "the spokesman of the (opposition) Alliance for Serbia of Dragan Djilas." He referred to Sabic as "a false commissioner" who had "always ventured into politics, insulting in the most heinous ways the president of Serbia, the ministers, and MPs."
The deputy commissioner, Stanojla Mandic, dismissed all these accusations, stating that most of Sabic's requests for disclosure were for information asked for by private citizens.

Opposition MP Djordje Vukadinovic, who ended the boycott of the Parliament, said that the opposition was wrong in not standing in defense of Sabic.

"It is unforgivable that more opposition caucuses have not voiced their opinion and defended Sabic from these ungrounded accusations," Vukadinovic stated.

Sabic's mandate expired last December, and the process of appointing a new commissioner is underway. The ruling coalition's nominee for the position is Milan Marinovic, a misdemeanor judge.