RIGHT TO PRIVACY

Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 12: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

The Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees the right to privacy. That means that nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family.

The world ruled by growing need for security and the “War on Terror” that marked the past ten years resulted into a global paranoia. Often exaggerated measures of security that involve 24/7 surveillance of communication and people’s movements severely violates the right to privacy.

The Republic of Macedonia faces additional challenges a propos right to privacy. Surveillance and other security measures that (may) hamper the right to privacy are not clearly put under civilian/parliamentarian control. Under the cover of security, fight against organized crime, traffic safety and other excuses, surveillance is used to interfere with lives of people, including political opponents, journalists, independent intellectuals, civil society and human rights activists, as alleged by various sources. There is no easy way of proving these allegations, having in mind the nature of these activities and the institutions that have the capacity to carry out these violations.

Xhabir M. Deralla

President, Civil – Center for Freedom