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🇷🇸 Serbia /Crime & Justice

“I Apologize to the Students”: Judge Petrov Responds to Public Outcry Over Spyware Remarks

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Constitutional Court President Vladan Petrov apologized to protesting students after remarks about surveillance sparked strong public criticism.
  • Petrov had questioned why people would worry about being monitored if they had nothing to hide, while also saying unauthorized surveillance is a criminal offense.
  • He said he doubted whether unauthorized surveillance had occurred and called on the authorities to clarify whether legal investigative measures had been used against the student movement.

Vladan Petrov, president of Serbia’s Constitutional Court, apologized to protesting students after a television remark about surveillance triggered a public backlash.

Petrov had said he did not understand why people would worry about being monitored if they had nothing to hide or were not involved in criminal activity. The comment came while he discussed reports that international forensic laboratories had found sophisticated Pegasus spyware on the phones of some students. He also expressed doubt that the state was behind the surveillance.

I apologize to the Students in Blockade if they felt that part of my statement, which was my personal perception, was a form of targeting them or excusing anyone who may have unlawfully monitored them.

· Vladan PetrovPetrov’s public apology after his television comments on surveillance drew criticism.

The remarks drew strong criticism from legal experts and others. Petrov had also said that everyone has a right to human dignity and that unauthorized recording is a criminal offense. He later told Danas that his full statement had included a condemnation of unauthorized surveillance, but that one section had been taken out of context.

I only expressed doubt about whether there had been unauthorized surveillance.

· Vladan PetrovPetrov explained to Danas what he intended to convey about the reported Pegasus findings.

“I only expressed doubt about whether there had been unauthorized surveillance,” Petrov said, adding that the competent authorities should clarify whether any action under the Criminal Procedure Code had been taken against members of the Students in Blockade movement.

He publicly apologized to the students if they had experienced his words as targeting them or as excusing anyone who may have monitored them unlawfully. Petrov said his comment reflected his personal view and experience. Danas also pointed out to him that Pegasus is not simply surveillance software, but spyware that records all activity on an infected device and deeply intrudes on personal privacy.

If you have nothing particularly to hide, especially violent activity or conduct with criminal consequences, why would you worry whether someone is monitoring you or not?

· Vladan PetrovThe television remark that prompted the public backlash.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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