With regard to disclosing the identity of a patient suffering from coronavirus in Serbia, the Protector of Citizens Mr. Zoran Pašalić reiterated that any patient had the right to the protection of his or her privacy and personal data confidentiality regarding anything communicated to the healthcare worker, including information on his/her state of health, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

Mr. Pašalić warns that tabloid-like reporting about a patient, which goes so far as to state the patient's occupation along with the diagnosis, is impermissible, and scaremongering is dangerous.

Therefore, the Protector of Citizens urges all participants in public life not to disclose private patient data; to refrain from scaremongering among the population; and to leave decisions on patient health care to the competent authorities in the health care system.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Belgrade University, when advertising a competition for the election to the title of associate professor for the scientific field: Diseases of Ungulates, did not act in accordance with the Rulebook on the Manner and Procedure of Acquiring the Title and Entry into Employment Contract of Teachers and Associates of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the Protector of Citizens concluded

The Protector of Citizens received complaints by a large number of citizens who were not satisfied with the activities of the Tax Administration within the Ministry of Finance and the National Pension and Disability Insurance Fund (RF PIO) because the surplus contributions which they paid on their own for pension and disability insurance could not be recovered.

In order to protect human rights, the Protector of Citizens issued recommendations to the Tax Administration to address the RF PIO ex officio with a request for a Decision on the complainants’ established right to a recovery of surplus contributions paid for pension and disability insurance, and RF PIO should act upon the Tax Administration’s request. Among other things, it is stated in the Recommendation by the Protector of Citizens that the two bodies need to set up a mechanism of mutual cooperation and take measures from their respective competences in order to prevent similar omissions in the work of the authority’s organizational units.

In reference to yesterday’s lock breaking on the front door of the Pride Info Center in Belgrade, the Protector of Citizens stated that the discrimination and violence against LGBTI community were manifested in different forms, to the point that buildings of their associations were desecrated.

When the doors open to the extremist and aggressive behavior of hooligans, the most vulnerable groups in society, which  frequently include members of the LGBTI community, become victims. Sexual orientation is a personal matter of an individual, but protecting the right to being different concerns each and every of us in the country, Mr. Pašalic has said.  In addition, Mr. Pašalic stated that failure to accept differences and the right to sexual orientation led to violence against members of the LGBTI community and called for a more efficient reaction by the authorities in identifying and sanctioning the perpetrators. Mr. Pašalić recalled that the mentioned attack on the premises of Pride Info Center was the 11^th one and that no one was held responsible for the previous 10 attacks.

Mr. Pašalić concluded that our  primary duty was to work on awareness raising with respect to the rights of LGBTI people through youth education, as well as through the education of the police, judges and prosecutors, with the aim of protecting and promoting the rights of all citizens, including the rights of persons of different sexual orientation.