Skopje, 8 November 2023 (MIA) - As an EU candidate country, we have responsibility for the security services to operate in accordance with the Constitution and laws and under the control of democratic political institutions, as well as independent institutions for supervision, and the civil society, so that they operate in line with the principle of the rule of law, protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, President Stevo Pendarovski told an international conference on the Ombudsman's supervisory role over intelligence and security structures.

He noted that over the past three decades the country had several extremely negative experiences involving the security services, with major violations of human rights and freedoms, above all, the right to privacy, and therefore, there is a huge responsibility to the citizens to create stable mechanisms for supervision and control, in order to never repeat the flagrant abuse of the services for personal and party interests as witnessed not so long ago.

President Pendarovski said the security services have not seen good reforms since the country's independence and the transition to a pluralistic democracy.

"Long after the independence, the security services were tacitly treated as instruments for controlling political opponents, rather than state institutions tasked with national security," said Pendarovski. 

He added that this is exactly the reason why scandals have erupted in different periods of time and why the organizational structure, and particularly the operational practice of the services, has not undergone significant changes for a long time.

The President pointed out that reforms have been made over the past few years, at least at a legislative level, which have brought positive changes in the organization and work of the services. But, according to him, although progress has been made, it cannot be said that the reforms of the security system have been completed, particularly in terms of ​​supervision and control over the work of the services.

"These were the key segments of the recommendations we received in the report of the group of experts led by Reinhard Priebe, namely, to prevent repetition of mass wiretapping and violation of citizens' privacy that has been carried out for years by some members of the services, at the request of the government at the time. In this segment, the Ombudsman has a particularly important role. Although this institution has proportionately less executive powers compared to the Prosecutor's Office or the Parliamentary oversight committee, it is closest to the essence of what is called - civic control over the government, including over one of its most sensitive parts - the security services," Pendarovski said. 

He pointed out that the institution of the Ombudsman has the authority to demand answers from the institutions of the government following citizens' complaints, including to inspect classified information, which are mainly the work of the security services, make observations and recommendations to the institutions of the government, not only as basis for media reports, but also as an instrument for raising and changing public awareness.

"The Ombudsman, as protector of the constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the citizens, can also initiate conduct of appropriate criminal proceedings to the Prosecutor's Office if it assesses while supervising that there is a basis for suspecting that a crime has been committed by the institutions and their representatives. These powers from the public's point of view are neither small nor can they be easily overlooked or marginalized by the institutions and their senior officials," said Pendarovski. 

The President voiced full support for the Ombudsman, encouraging an even more proactive approach in the future by initiating procedures that will ultimately help in creating a new legal and political culture for the right place and role of the security services in democracy. Pendarovski believes that in this way the Ombudsman will contribute to the reform of the services, prevent potential abuses and violations of human rights and freedoms and, in general, contribute to building a functional rule of law.