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🇷🇸 Serbia /Elections & Politics

Legal Professionals Demand Vladan Petrov’s Resignation Over Surveillance Remark

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

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

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Serbian legal group Odbrana struke condemned Constitutional Court President Vladan Petrov’s comment about alleged Pegasus surveillance of students.
  • The group said unauthorized interception without a court order violates constitutional rights and accused Petrov of undermining the court’s authority.
  • It called for Petrov to resign as both court president and judge, citing the remark and earlier statements.

A group of Serbian judges and prosecutors has demanded the resignation of Constitutional Court President Vladan Petrov after his response to claims that students were monitored with Pegasus spyware.

Odbrana struke condemned Petrov’s statement that citizens had no reason to worry about being wiretapped “if they have nothing to hide.” The group said the remark showed an elementary lack of understanding of the Constitution and minimized violations of the country’s highest legal act, including the right to confidential correspondence and communications.

“ The president of the Constitutional Court should know that the confidentiality of communications is inviolable, and that any unauthorized wiretapping of citizens without a court decision and contrary to legally prescribed conditions constitutes a criminal offense and a serious violation of citizens’ rights,” the group said.

if they have nothing to hide

· Vladan PetrovPetrov used the phrase when discussing citizens’ concerns about wiretapping and alleged Pegasus surveillance of students.

It also criticized Petrov for making the statement as a regular guest on a television outlet where, it said, no other Serbian judge had appeared. According to the group, this further damaged the authority of the Constitutional Court and weakened the reputation of its president.

Odbrana struke recalled a Constitutional Court statement issued on Feb. 4 saying that the court president’s communication with the media would take place through the president’s office. It said the statement evidently did not bind Petrov, who had openly placed himself in the service of a ruling political party.

The group called for Petrov to resign both as court president and as a Constitutional Court judge. It said he could then act freely as a representative of the ruling party.

The president of the Constitutional Court should know that the confidentiality of communications is inviolable, and that any unauthorized wiretapping of citizens without a court decision and contrary to legally prescribed conditions constitutes a criminal offense and a serious violation of citizens’ rights.

· Odbrana strukeThe legal group cited constitutional protections and criminal-law limits in its demand for Petrov’s resignation.
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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