None of the tapped activists who today got folders with wiretapped conversations by the leader of the opposition was surprised that their phone numbers are found on wiretapping list. They say that feeling when you know that someone else has a part of your private life is extremely uncomfortable and announced criminal charges of those who tapped them.
Bojan Marichik – Macedonian Center for European Training:
This is extremely uncomfortable feeling. I must admit I’m not surprised at all. I still haven’t heard the conversations and I do not know whether they are authentic. Tapping civil society organizations only shows the dictatorial treatment of the government towards civil society organizations. The general idea is to instigate legal proceedings which would even end up to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg along with the other NGOs.
Xhabir Deralla – “Civil”:
For many years I knew that I was bugged, to say frankly, I feel angry and disappointed, I feel violated. But when such a Government wiretaps you, it means that you are on the right track. And I want to thank them for listening. All the time while we thought they didn’t care about our advice and our work, they listened and recorded us. In coordination with my colleagues, we will use all legal measures.
Violeta Gligoroska – Foundation Open Society Institute “Macedonia”:
The conversations I was given, as I managed to see so far, are authentic. All of them. They are recorded conversations with journalists who applied for some research projects. I have conversations with Jadranka Kostovska, Mladen Chadikovski, Biljana Sekulovska and others.
Bardhyl Jashari – Foundation for Internet and Society “Metamorphosis”:
I’m not surprised, but the feeling is similar to when you lose something valuable, but you don’t give up, you are still looking and hope to find it, until the moment you find out that it is irretrievably lost… Well, such is the feeling when you will receive confirmation that your privacy is lost.
