New security laws to regulate that no fundamental right will be sacrificed in name of national security (Sen.Chirtes)

The new security laws should regulate that no fundamental right of individuals will be sacrificed in the name of national security, says to the chairman of the committee for exercising parliamentary control for the activity of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), Senator Ioan-Cristian Chirtes.

The message, sent on the occasion of SRI's stocktaking report for 2021, was published on the Facebook page of the Parliamentary Committee.

According to Senator Chirtes, the way in which the debate began in the public space regarding the draft laws of the new security laws is "regrettable".

"Unfortunately, it was partially compromised from the begging, an absolutely necessary action, that of modernizing the legislative framework in the area of security and national defence. Now it falls to Parliament to reestablish the balance and to bring the debate back to the essence of these laws: how we will defend Romania, without having any Romanian harmed in their rights and individual liberties, unless they did something that would jeopardize national security. The new laws should clearly regulate that no fundamental right of people will be sacrificed in the name of national security. On the contrary! We will have to convince them that by updating the laws we will offer the citizens new guarantees of protecting their civil rights and human dignity," the message of Ioan-Cristian Chirtes reads.

According to him, it is necessary for the new laws to consolidate parliamentary control of the activities of intelligence services.

"The trust of the Romanian people must be won through the power of the law that prevents abuse and to limit the power of those that govern. We are in a critical moment, in which I consider that it is necessary to make a shared effort for developing security culture, at an individual level, within companies and public institutions, including the political class. A strong security culture, doubled by communicating with the civil society and increasing transparency at the level of responsible institutions for achieving national security, are the premises of finding the balance to achieving the defence of the state and citizens, in a consolidated democracy," the senator mentions.

He adds that in the year 2021 "fake news, misinformation, cyber attacks, cyber crime, online terrorism or social extremism" were the challenges on SRI's work agenda and adds that, from the standpoint of the need for more security, updating laws "can no longer be delayed".

"In a democracy, the main work instrument is the law," Ioan-Cristian Chirtes adds.AGERPRES