PM Hristijan Mickoski said Tuesday that the following and wiretapping of him while he was leader of the opposition by the Agency for National Security (ANS) is a blow against democracy, freedom and the fundamental pillars of the state.
“Our country is facing another great scandal of illegal following and wiretapping and mass abuse of the sate systems over the past years. There shall be responsibility! This case will be dealt with. The people of this country are far too long victims of secret centres of power. We do not fear challenges or problems, but we deal with them and resolve them. Our mission is to build a state with strong institutions, modern administration, growing economy and a society that can trust democracy”, Mickoski said.
From the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) they stated that they will thoroughly investigate the allegations of illegal activities on behalf of ANS employees, and added that in accordance with the relevant laws, only PPO can issue orders for following of persons in case of serious indications of criminal activities.
Reaction also came from the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) and the Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM), demanding immediate investigation over the following and wiretapping allegations, adding that any form of illegal monitoring of communications represents serious threat of the freedom of the press.