Lacmanović: Marković demonstrated ignorance of human rights and affirmed their violation

Expert in the field of personal data protection Radenko Lacmanović announced that former Prime Minister and deputy of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Duško Marković "once again not only demonstrated ignorance of human rights and basic freedoms" but also "affirmed their violation".

Marković, appearing as a guest on the Načisto show on Television Vijesti, said that he was proud of everything that the government he led "when it comes to dealing with the pandemic".

Marković also said that he was sorry "for the violation of the right to privacy when the names of citizens in self-isolation were published."

"These people will realize their right due to threatened human rights... But believe me, it is a smaller price than the one we pay today when a hundred people die in just one Sunday.... Montenegro is not a country of 100 million inhabitants, but of over 600 thousand. Today in Montenegro, one life is more important than any other weakness that may appear, the lack of defense of that life...", Marković said, among other things.

Lacmanović stated in the statement that Marković is proud of mistakes "for which responsible people regret or are ashamed".

"Mr. Marković says that he would again publish the list of people in self-isolation in order to preserve public health. At the same time, MP Marković shows disrespect for the institutions of the state to which he swears so much. It means nothing to him that the Constitutional Court has judged that the publication of the list in question is unconstitutional. The former prime minister has shown no regrets because his irresponsible actions will cost the citizens of Montenegro millions of euros. Instead of admitting his mistake and apologizing to the citizens who were in self-isolation and accepting responsibility, he persistently defends the decision for which every student has the right knew that he would fall before the constitutional court. There are serious indications that Marković exerted illegal influence on the first people of the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data to pass an opinion that served as an alibi for the adoption of the decision to publish the list, on the basis of which a good number of citizens were exposed to a kind of stigmatization and put, as they knew how to say, into social distance. Marković, who came to the position of prime minister on the basis of his past work in the secret police, methods that he used for years, which include, among other things, the collection and use, that is, the misuse of data on citizens, continued to apply and from the position of Prime Minister," said Lacmanović.

He also claims that Marković "tried to publish everything he knew about citizens, while keeping information about himself, his party colleagues and coalition partners well hidden from the public eye."

"There had to be a change of government in order to find out to whom and under what conditions Marković's government granted apartments and other privileges. Many forgot that the former prime minister easily published a list of citizens with all their personal data who sued the state due to the denial of their rights from work and labor relations and received the well-deserved satisfaction from the court. In this way, MP Marković made enemies of the state out of citizens who were denied certain rights, and protected those who remained. Also, those citizens have a legal basis to do the same as well as persons who were in self-isolation request satisfaction before the court. During the publication of this list, Marković demonstrated insensitivity and state irresponsibility and justified his illegal actions with the public interest."

Lacmanović also said that "it's time for their makers to be sanctioned for not only wrong, but also illegal decisions".

"In a way that they will have to compensate for the damage caused by ignorance, and especially malice, which is the case with former Prime Minister Duško Marković. His malice, based on what he publicly announced, would not be difficult to prove in court, it goes without saying that he would be independent," concluded Lacmanović.