Newsroom
Serbia returning to normality, says OSCE Mission Head
BELGRADE 20 May 2003
BELGRADE, 19 May 2003 - In an article published this week in Serbia's Vreme magazine, the OSCE Head of Mission to Serbia and Montenegro, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, outlined that Serbia's priority must be to fully return to a normal situation, now that the state of emergency is over.
"Any state of emergency decreed presupposes the necessity for order and security over liberty", he said in his article. "Now as we return to a normal situation, there is a strong expectation towards a re-balancing of these conceptual pillars of democracy."
Ambassador Massari noted it was very important for Serbia to repeal its police detention laws, which stipulate that the authorities can detain individuals for up to 60 days. "This would show Europe that Serbia is serious about complying with human rights standards and specifically the European Convention on Human Rights", he added.
The article also stressed the need for the Serbian Government to increase its efforts to reform the judiciary and to make it more effective. "We expect in particular the revitalization of the Council for Judicial Reform", he noted.
Other areas where Ambassador Massari urged further steps forward include the reform of the Serbian prison system, freedom of the media, and the approval of an Ombudsman law.
"The responsibility of politicians in the country now, in the aftermath of the emergency, is to ensure that Serbian democracy remains strong and ordered on one hand, while liberal and free on the other", Ambassador Massari concluded.
"Any state of emergency decreed presupposes the necessity for order and security over liberty", he said in his article. "Now as we return to a normal situation, there is a strong expectation towards a re-balancing of these conceptual pillars of democracy."
Ambassador Massari noted it was very important for Serbia to repeal its police detention laws, which stipulate that the authorities can detain individuals for up to 60 days. "This would show Europe that Serbia is serious about complying with human rights standards and specifically the European Convention on Human Rights", he added.
The article also stressed the need for the Serbian Government to increase its efforts to reform the judiciary and to make it more effective. "We expect in particular the revitalization of the Council for Judicial Reform", he noted.
Other areas where Ambassador Massari urged further steps forward include the reform of the Serbian prison system, freedom of the media, and the approval of an Ombudsman law.
"The responsibility of politicians in the country now, in the aftermath of the emergency, is to ensure that Serbian democracy remains strong and ordered on one hand, while liberal and free on the other", Ambassador Massari concluded.