(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JULY 30 - In Serbia, the opposition media,
but also the US Embassy, ;;criticized the decision of the
Ministry of Finance, through a special commission, to launch
investigations into control and prevention of money laundering
involving non-governmental organizations, civic and human rights
associations, activists and investigative media. They expressed
concern that, under the pretext of preventing money laundering,
the authorities would have access to information about the
banking transactions of opposition media, NGOs, and other
independent organizations, thus exercising control and
pressure.In a statement, the US Embassy in Belgrade said it was
worried "about something that appears to be rather a selective
investigation into certain civil society and media organizations
in Serbia active in investigative journalism." Many of these
organizations and media, added the US Embassy, work to promote
democracy, strengthen the rule of law, and help Serbia progress
in the integration process in the EU. "We ask the Serbian
government to fulfill its constitutional and international
obligation andinternational to protect fundamental freedoms of
expression, association, and assembly."Amnesty International and
Freedom House were critical of the Serbian government. Both
associations underline that the investigations for the
prevention of money laundering concern organizations and
journalists who have conducted surveys on corruption in the
Serbian government's entourages, criticizing Belgrade's policy
in the field of democracy and human rights. According to the
Belgrade-based opposition newspaper Danas, which the government
and President Aleksandar Vucic harshly criticized, the Finance
Minister's decision would be a 'revenge' of Minister Sinisa Mali
against journalists and organizations that have long campaigned
against him, accusing the minister of plagiarism for his PhD
thesis. (ANSA)
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