We would like to inform people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deputies, the media, nongovernmental organizations and the public that the Government of the Republic of Serbia has forwarded to the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly the Draft Law on Alterations and Amendments of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance.<\/p>\n
We would like to inform people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deputies, the media, nongovernmental organizations and the public that the Government of the Republic of Serbia has forwarded to the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly the Draft Law on Alterations and Amendments of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, elaborated by the Ministry of Culture and Media, despite the fact that an almost exact Draft Law has been in procedure of the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly since 2007.<\/p>\n
As known to the public, the Coalition for Free Access to Information task force, made up of representatives of the Center for Advanced Legal Studies, Lawyers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Committee for Human Rights and the office of the Commissioner for Free Access to Information, elaborated in 2007 the text of the future Draft Law on Alterations and Amendments of the Law on Free Access to Information. The members of the task force were: prof.dr. Vladimir Vodineli\u0107, Rodoljub \u00c5\u00a0abi\u0107, Sa\u0161a Gajin, MA and Dejan Milenkovi\u0107, PhD.<\/p>\n
Following this, the nongovernmental organizations Narodni Parlament (People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Parliament) from Leskovac, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Sretenje from Po\u017eega and Resource Center from Negotin, together with other partner organizations, collected and delivered to the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly 35,870 signatures of citizens in favor of this law, thus formally setting in motion a civic initiative for the adoption of the Draft Law on Alterations and Amendments of the Law on Free Access to Information.<\/p>\n
To this day, this legitimate Draft Law has not found its place on the agenda of the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly, despite of explicit obligations of the Parliament to decide upon this legal text. Then, a year and a half later, instead of parliamentary discussion and deciding upon this “civic” Draft Law, we now have a Draft Law on Alterations and Amendments of the Law on Free Access to Information, which is almost identical to the one submitted to the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly, with the citizens\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 signatures.<\/p>\n
However, the Ministry of Culture has not completely copied the text of the Draft Law” in “their law” they failed to include the elements which are the most important to citizens and nongovernmental organizations: regulation which anticipates the right to appeal to the Commissioner on availability of information and protection of personal data regarding decisions of the highest state authorities. (People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly, President of the Republic, Government of the Republic of Serbia, Supreme Court of Serbia, Constitutional Court and the Republic Public Prosecutor); regulation on protection of the insider (whistleblower, an institution whose establishing and protection is ordered by the Council of Europe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s anti-corruption body” Group of States Against Corruption” GRECO); as well as the regulation on sanctity of the Law on Free Access to Information in regard to laws in other areas which will be adopted in the future. We emphasize that introducing of those regulations which are ignored by the Ministry, would significantly contribute to the efficient use of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance.<\/p>\n
We appeal to the public, and particularly the media, to react against the unconscientious actions of the public authorities which led to the fact that there are now two Draft Laws of near identical contents in the parliamentary procedure. We would like to ask the Speaker of the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly: which of those two Draft Laws will be first on the agenda of the Assembly, and which will be adopted, i.e. rejected. Also, we would like to ask the Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia and the Minister in charge of the matter” why did they decide in favor of the Draft Law’s elaboration and delivering to the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly, bearing in mind that it was almost identical to the Draft Law already in parliamentary procedure, with alterations which very much render this text meaningless.<\/p>\n
We believe that in democracy, the will of the citizens is inviolable. Like an individual voice expressed in elections is respected without exception as the only source of governing for those in power, the voice of individuals should be observed in the same manner and to a full extent should they move for adoption of a law. Since the civic legislative initiative of the Coalition is founded in the 2006 Constitution of Serbia and the Law on Referendum and People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Initiative, we demand from the Speaker of the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly to act in accordance with those legal regulations and previous promises that she would soon put on the agenda the Draft Law on Alterations and Amendments of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance which was supported by the citizens\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 signatures. In addition to that, we expect from the Government of the Republic of Serbia to respect the efforts by the civic society and the results of the carried out civic initiative and withdraw from procedure “its own” Draft Law on Alterations and Amendments of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance. This would not only strengthen the principles of democracy, rule of law and observance of human rights, but also prevent further damage of the highest state institutions\u00e2\u20ac\u2122reputation.<\/p>\n
Belgrade, May 21st 2009<\/p>\n
For Coalition for free Access to information:<\/p>\n
Lawyers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Committee for Human Rights<\/p>\n
Coalition for free Access to information, comprised of:<\/p>\n
1. Lawyers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Committee for Human Rights<\/p>\n
2. Center for Advanced Legal Studies<\/p>\n
3. People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Parliament Leskovac<\/p>\n
4. Center for Peace and Democracy Development<\/p>\n
5. Transparency Serbia<\/p>\n
6. Civic Initiatives<\/p>\n
7. Forum iuris, Novi sad<\/p>\n
8. Fund for an Open Society<\/p>\n
9. Resource Center Negotin<\/p>\n
10. NGO Sretenje<\/p>\n
11. Belgrade Centre for Human Rights<\/p>\n
12. Toplica Center for Democracy and Human Rights<\/p>\n
Together with partner organizations:<\/p>\n
1. Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia<\/p>\n
2. Humanitarian Law Center<\/p>\n
3. Praxis<\/p>\n
4. Centre for Civil-Military Relations<\/p>\n
5. Initiative for Inclusion VelikiMali<\/p>\n
6. Roma\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Open hart<\/p>\n
7. Humanitarian Organization “Romani Heart”<\/p>\n
8. Lawers` for Democracy<\/p>\n
9. Inclusion movement<\/p>\n
10. Youth Initiative for Human Rights<\/p>\n
11. Women in Black<\/p>\n
12. Esperanca, Novi Sad<\/p>\n
13. Women for Peace, Leskovac<\/p>\n
14. SOS phone-line for women and children victims of violence, Vlasotince<\/p>\n
15. Zar, Kikinda<\/p>\n
16. Women in Action, Velika Plana<\/p>\n
17. Pescanik, Krusevac<\/p>\n
18. Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Club Hera, Backa Topola<\/p>\n
19. Queeria Center<\/p>\n
20. The Regional Centre for Minorities<\/p>\n
21. Labris<\/p>\n
22. Federations of Romanians in Serbia<\/p>\n
23. TimocPress<\/p>\n
24. The Gay and Lesbian Info Center (GLIC)<\/p>\n
25. Pescanik<\/p>\n
26. The Bridge Group, Belgrade<\/p>\n
27. Centre for Human Rights – Nis<\/p>\n
28. Sandzak Committee For Defence Of Human Rights And Freedoms<\/p>\n
29. NGO K-town group<\/p>\n
30. CHRIS Network<\/p>\n
31. Committee for Human Rights Negotin<\/p>\n
32. Committee for Human Rights Valjevo<\/p>\n
33. Committee for Human Rights Ni\u0161<\/p>\n
34. Committee for Human Rights Vranje<\/p>\n
35. Vojvodina Center for Human Rights<\/p>\n
36. Civic forum Novi Pazar<\/p>\n
37. Center for Cultural Decontamination<\/p>\n
38. Platforma<\/p>\n
39. Roma Info Center<\/p>\n
40. BalkanIdea Novi Sad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We would like to inform people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deputies, the media, nongovernmental organizations and the public that the Government of the Republic of Serbia has forwarded to the People\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Assembly the Draft Law on Alterations and Amendments of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance. We would like to inform people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deputies, the media, … <\/p>\n