The 14 NGOs issued a press release on Friday claiming that their position on the matter was different from yesterday's statements by President Stjepan Mesic and the Council for the Civilian Supervision of Security Services who said that the background checks of Sandra Bencic, a candidate for the Council for the Development of Civil Society, contained no elements that would be in contravention of relevant laws. The checks were performed by the Security Intelligence Agency (SOA) at the request of Jadranka Cigelj, who was subsequently relieved of duty as head of the government's Office for Associations.
Activist Sandra Bencic has received an inconsistent answer from the Council for the Civilian Supervision of Security Services which stated that in her case the law had not been breached, but that her human rights had been violated, the NGOs said in the press release.
They accused President Mesic and the Council for the Civilian Supervision of failing to show a wish to protect citizens against abuse of secret services.
All of this reflects the state of affairs in the political system and institutions in Croatia and proves that when scandals erupt, they are solved by punishing clerks rather than persons responsible, the NGOs said.
They insist that not only Cigelj but also the SOA official who acted on her order should bear consequences for having illegally carried out the checks.
The letter which Bencic received today from the Council for the Civilian Supervision of Security Services reads that her human rights were violated as the SOA did not ask for her consent to be vetted.
Bencic addressed the Council over the matter in December 2006.
On Thursday, the Council held a session at which it concluded that there were no unlawful elements in Bencic's vetting, but that some irregularities had been committed by the SOA agent who thus violated her human rights.
The Council's conclusions were also delivered to the parliamentary Home Affairs and National Security Committee.