A new report by Amnesty International indicates the widespread use of spyware against activists, journalists and members of civil society by the police and the Security Information Agency (BIA) in Serbia. Experts in digital forensics analyzed the devices of Serbian citizens directly affected by the use of intrusive technologies and reliably determined that the police and the BIA routinely used a new type of spy software that Amnesty International calls NoviSpy, along with the abuse of a highly sophisticated digital forensics tool from the Israeli company Cellebrite. The report states that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway donated this digital forensics tool to the Ministry of Interior of Serbia through the mediation of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Amnesty claims that the number of recorded cases indicates a systemic abuse of surveillance technology by government agencies.
The Security Information Agency refused to comment the report and stated that it contains “nonsensical allegations”. BIA stated that Amnesty International’s research indicates that this organization works for the “interests of certain agencies and pressure groups”.
The BIA has repeatedly shown that it is concerned with preserving the ruling regime instead of preserving the security of the state and citizens. Instead of gathering evidence against the criminal, it follows and eavesdrops on journalists and activists, while criminals are only brought into custody when the international and security institutions of other countries discover criminal acts that go beyond the borders of Serbia.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the allegations from Amnesty International’s report are incorrect and that the forensic tool is used exclusively in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Serbia.
The journalist of the FAR, portal from Dimitrovgrad, Slaviša Milanov, was subjected to unnecessary harassment by the police in Pirot in February this year. After his vehicle was stopped, and the alcohol and drug tests turned out to be negative, he was detained for questioning on suspicion of transporting persons wanted by the police across the border with Bulgaria, which Milanov denied. The police officers did not check the cameras from the border crossing. After this incident, Slaviša Milanov addressed the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) because he discovered that during the stay at the police station, where he was detained, the phone was active even though he turned it off at the request of the police officers and handed it over to them.
IJAS would like to draw attention to the fact that in March of this year, a criminal complaint was submitted to the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office against unknown persons in the Pirot Police Station. In addition, a complaint about the work of police officers was sent to the Department of Internal Control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (SUK) due to a justified suspicion of a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights to confidentiality of letters and other means of communication, protection of personal data and freedom of opinion and expression of our colleague Milanov. However, in April we received an answer that after the control of SUK, it was established that there was no violation of his human rights and freedoms. Regarding the status of the criminal complaint, we have been informed that the allegations in the complaint are being investigated, but no details are known about what has been done so far in this regard.
On this occasion, we invite the prosecutor’s office to investigate in detail and determine who is responsible for the illegal behavior of police officers in Pirot, but also to investigate allegations of misuse of digital forensic tools by the Security Information Agency.
IJAS also recalls the case of Ljubomir Stefanović, the author of the YouTube channel Slavija Info, who informed the public that BIA members forced him into a van, after which they took him to the premises of the police. According to Stefanović, he spent about four hours in the premises of the Voždovac police station. During that time, his phone and car keys were temporarily confiscated. According to the information available to IJAS, in the case of Ljubomir Stefanović, the Cellebrite tool was used to unlock the phone and download data, which also opens the possibility for the installation of NoviSpy software.
IJAS joins civil society organizations in demanding that institutions urgently recognize the use of spyware as a violation of basic human rights and calls on state authorities to stop this practice without delay.
We remind that the use of spyware represents a serious attack on human rights, freedom of expression and privacy of citizens. According to the Criminal Code, the possession, distribution and use of spyware, as a type of computer virus, is a criminal offense, as well as any unauthorized access to protected devices and data.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)
Belgrade, December 17th, 2024
