Podgorica - Montenegrin human rights activist Aleksandar Sasa Zekovic was today denied information by the Supreme Court on whether or not it gave police a green light to put him under surveillance.
In a letter seen by Balkan Insight, court president Ratko Vukotic told Zekovic that national security concerns meant he could not know if the authorities were watching him or not.
Suspecting police were following him and tapping his phone, Zekovic first wrote to the Supreme Court on April 20 to ask if it had approved such measures. According to Montenegrin law, the Supreme Court is responsible for authorising police surveillance and phone-tapping.
Zekovic is well known for his investigations of alleged human rights violations, and earlier this February published accusations of police brutality during an arrest operation carried out last year. The September 2006 swoop, known as "Eagle flight", saw a number of Albanian men taken into custody on suspicion of terorism.
He said that, since then, he had suspected police were following him, as well as claiming to have received anonymous threats that details of his private life would be exposed if he did not stop talking about the case.
Zekovic told Balkan Insight that police sources pointed the finger at officers close to police chief Veselin Veljovic, although adding they were acting without the latter’s support.
"I have been told these officers hate me and that I'm making problems for them in regard to the "Eagle flight" operation," he said. "Now, after this response from the Supreme Court, my suspicions that the police are involved are even stronger."
Police chief Veljovic has dismissed the allegations.
Zekovic has responded to his court rejection by writing to state prosecutor Vesna Medenica, asking her to confirm whether or not she ordered him to be put under surveillance.
Source: BIRN
3 comments:
SOB!!!!!
Its a cover-up; the government does not want anyone following up on the Albanian torture case in Montenegro. This activist is just doing his job. He, and everyone following this matter, knows damn well that Albanians have been jailed for bogus reasons!!!
No kidding; but my question is, why aren't there any Albanian human rights activists taking the lead in an independent investigation outside the legal realm.
Although the under-qualified defense team is back-peddling in their legal efforts, there needs to be an Albanian NGO pressuring the legal authorities to release information on the cause of arrests for those inmates.
There is no watchdog orgazization in Montenegro, something like MJAFT! in Albania. If these arrests were made in Tetove or Preseve, trust me there would be a national uproar with the ethnic minorities.
But this furthers my argument that Malesor are not united and fearful for their lives as if they are still living in the communist era.
Free Malesia? Yes, free them from their own fears and tribulations!!
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