Serbia NGOs Decry Silence Over New Information Commissioner

Serbian rights organisations are calling on the country's parliament to conduct a more transparent process for the selection of a new Information Commissioner - a post considered crucial for obtaining information of public importance.

The programme director of the Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability, Rasa Nedeljkov, said his organisation has "absolutely no information" about how far along the process to appoint a new commissioner has come.

"Perhaps the new commissioner is already known [to the authorities], but they're waiting for a good moment politically to announce it," Nedeljkov told BIRN.

The previous commissioner, Rodoljub Sabic, was a staunch supporter of freedom of information rights and of personal data protection.

This often drew attacks from members of the ruling coalition, led by President Aleksandar Vucic's Progressive Party, as well as from the pro-government tabloids.

The commissioner's office has often been the last resort for journalists seeking to obtain official documents.

Sabic's term expired on December 22. Since then, the authorities have not released a list of possible candidates to replace him, or any other information.

There is no deadline by when the new commissioner has to be appointed, and until then the post is being filled by Sabic's deputy.

A coalition of NGOs has appealed to the Serbian parliament three times, first calling for the election process to be launched, then sending a proposal of ethical and professional criteria for candidates, and finally asking if there are any candidates, and who are they.

Among other things, civil society organisations proposed that candidates should have had no affiliation to political parties at least three years prior to...

Continue reading on: