Attorney on Surveillance of Opposition Movement Premises

Protest in Belgrade on March 15 (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

The attorney Jovan Rajic told the Oct. 29 issue of the Nova newspaper that the recently uncovered surveillance by the Security and Information Agency of the offices of the Free Citizens Movement revealed "the police-judiciary octopus run by the regime."

A number of Novi Sad activists of the Free Citizens Movement were arrested in March after an audio recording was leaked of them on the movement's premises allegedly planning to force their way into Serbian institutions, for which they were charged by the prosecutor's office with the overthrow of constitutional order.

Insajder reported on Oct. 28 that Free Citizens Movement offices had been bugged for almost four months as part of measures targeting one individual, and that the conversation had been recorded as a part of those measures. Rajic told the Nova newspaper that the reasons the individuals were placed under surveillance were questionable, as was the way in which evidence against them was obtained, adding that disputing this evidence would most likely be the main focus of the proceedings.

According to him, tormenting political dissenters is a blatant misuse of the law, and this example together with others like it "best show the synergy that leads to the emergence of a police-judiciary octopus." "You have the police and the [Security and Information Agency], which deal in operations and the abuse of their authority, listening in on citizens, and you have the tabloids and media outlets in the service of the government, getting evidence through judicial bodies. And lastly, you have your servile judge who signs off on the measures and the prosecutor's office that has no qualms about moving for detention and laying absurd charges against its citizens," Rajic said.