Ombudsman reveals he is receiving threats

Ombudsman reveals he is receiving threats

Earlier, Jankovic said that he did not "feel safe" after receiving threats, and that instead of criticism, he had been receiving "the ugliest personal disqualifications."

Jankovic last week filed criminal complaints against two members of the Military Police Administration for attacks on the MUP Gendarmerie officers during last year's Gay Pride Parade in Belgrade.

During the parade Gendarmerie members clashed with Aleksandar Vucic's brother Andrej Vucic, the brother of the Belgrade mayor, and two members of Andrej Vucic's personal security.

Announcing on Wednesday that he was receiving threats, the ombudsman explained that the complaint against the two military police members was based exclusively on the documents of the Interior Ministry (MUP), which stated that one of them was armed, that he struck a Gendarme in the head, and also that the Military-Security Agency (VBA) afterwards illegally confiscated the evidence.

Jankovic last week announced that he had canceled his planned "systemic control" of the VBA because the agency and the Defense Ministry refused to submit data related to the Pride Parade incident. This control was supposed to check the veracity of the claims that the VBA illegally, without a court order, collected data on trade union leaders and political parties.

Addressing this point on Wednesday, Drecun said that "all such claims should be verified to determine if there is any truth to them."

"Mr. Jankovic himself distanced himself. But, it should first be checked whether there were such illegal activities from 2008 until 2012, targeting the opposition of the time, that is, the SNS, some of its members, including me," said Drecun.

He added that he "does not remember that anyone reacted to all that at the time."

"We want legality in the work of all organs and that is the principle by which we will be governed," he added.

According to the opposition DS party assembly member Borislav Stefanovic, Jankovic "found himself in a delicate and dangerous situation just because he is implementing the law."

"The feeling of vulnerability of the ombudsman must be removed immediately with an efficient decision of the government and the appropriate ministry, which will provide protection to Jankovic and enable his unimpeded work and life, and eliminate any possibility of physical or any other influence on his integrity," said Stefanovic.

Commenting on the information presented in the report, Stefanovic said that the government "must provide all information that the ombudsman seeks to determine who and why was wiretapped and whether it was done with the permission of a court."