Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Rodoljub Sabic, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance received representatives of Belgrade group of the "missing babies" parents. In the conversation with the Commissioner, representatives of the group that gathers parents of missing babies after birth have expressed frustration because of the chronic lack of adequate measures that should shed light on a number of ambiguous situations. They pointed out that the recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights on the complaint of one parent is a confirmation that the state has not taken all the measures that were required, and that parents are interested in the truth more than the possible financial benefits. They thanked the Commissioner on providing help and asked for the continuation of his support.

In this regard, the Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic stated the following:

"It is a chronic, serious problem. Parental efforts to obtain information about the missing children escalated in a number of conflicts with hospitals, registry agencies, judiciary and Ministry of Interior. For that matter, in 2006 a Board of Inquiry of the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia was constituted, which submitted a Report on its findings and determined the proposed measures that included the unblock of the police work, unimpeded work of prosecution and courts as well as the establishment of special police units tasked to investigate all cases of missing babies and submit a Report within three months. Furthermore, it was stipulated that in future all cases of this kind would be under the jurisdiction of the Special Court and Special Prosecutor's Office.

By the end of 2007 parents asked from the Ministry of Interior the above mentioned Report that they were denied, and only after my order, the Ministry of Interior delivered it to parents. However, they were left upset by the failure to fulfil required measures.

In only last few years, the Commissioner has taken dozens of cases before the courts based on the parents' complaints regarding the "missing babies". In an effort to help them in the end of 2008 I addressed the Speaker of the National Parliament. After the intervention the Parliament formed a new Working Group with a similar mission that had a Board of Inquiry. The parents, however, believe that the desired outcomes of the Working Group activities have been entirely absent.

The recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights and the fact that before this Court hundreds of lawsuits have been brought and that number can be considerably increased represent a very serious warning that it would be highly irresponsible to "sweep the problem under the carpet". But even without having this in mind, all officials would have to make maximum effort to determine the truth, whatever it would be. Among other things, it would require the adoption of a lex specialis that was suggested long time ago by the Protector of Citizens. The state of maintaining a latent suspicion does not only affect the parents of missing babies but also jeopardizes confidence in the functioning of the institutions.

Parents have informed me that they addressed the Speaker of the National Parliament, the Protector of Citizens and the First Deputy Prime Minister with the demand to be received and asked me to endorse their demands, which I will certainly do."

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