ZAGREB, May 18 (Hina) - Most members of the Croatian National Sabor's House of Representatives on Thursday gave a positive assessment of final draft amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs, adding it was necessary to determine whom
intelligence and security services can tap as well as which cases of wire-tapping must be supervised and who supervises them. The MPs also said an integral law regulating this issue should be adopted as soon as possible. The amendments, proposed by the Committee on Internal Affairs and National Security, establish conditions, measures, and forms of wire-tapping, said the Committee's chairwoman Djurdja Adlesic of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS). The Committee proposed the amendments after Article 18 of the Law on Internal Affairs, which regulated that the Interior Minister had the right to decide who was to be tapped, was abolished two months ago. The Committe
ZAGREB, May 18 (Hina) - Most members of the Croatian National
Sabor's House of Representatives on Thursday gave a positive
assessment of final draft amendments to the Law on Internal
Affairs, adding it was necessary to determine whom intelligence and
security services can tap as well as which cases of wire-tapping
must be supervised and who supervises them.
The MPs also said an integral law regulating this issue should be
adopted as soon as possible.
The amendments, proposed by the Committee on Internal Affairs and
National Security, establish conditions, measures, and forms of
wire-tapping, said the Committee's chairwoman Djurdja Adlesic of
the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS).
The Committee proposed the amendments after Article 18 of the Law on
Internal Affairs, which regulated that the Interior Minister had
the right to decide who was to be tapped, was abolished two months
ago. The Committee has suggested that the House of Representatives
appoint a commission of three members, whom the Interior Minister
would have to inform of tapping measures which have been taken. The
commission would consist of non-party persons, and at least one of
them should be an investigating judge.
Adlesic said the proposed solutions would be applied for only about
a month until an integral law is passed.
She expressed hope that in the future human rights would not be
violated and measures of tapping would not be applied against
journalists, politicians, and other public figures.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) supported the
amendments regulating wire-tapping. "However, considering that
the whole so-called intelligence community, which over the past 10
years had acted as intelligence underground, remained unchanged
after the elections, who can guarantee that those same people would
implement the new law in a professional and fair manner," Kajin
said. He said he wondered that "no one in the country has the courage
to make some order in the intelligence community."
Vladimir Seks of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said the
amendments were in line with European standards. The HDZ will
support the law if the Sabor adopts an amendment by the HDZ that the
three-member commission include one Opposition representative,
which would be proposed by the largest opposition party, Seks
said.
The bill was supported by the HSLS and the Social Democratic Party
(SDP) since the two parties believe that its purpose is to reduce
the number of undercover measures aimed at data gathering to the
minimum and that those measures, in cases when they have to be
applied, be supervised.
(hina) jn rml