The Montenegrin government has been using its official website to publish a constantly updated list of the names and addresses of citizens infected with Coronavirus. It also published the personal information of those that should be self-isolating.
When asked about the legality of publishing personal details and medical information, authorities said that they had received approval from the country’s Agency for Personal Data Protection.
“Security forces can’t control every citizen who should be in self-isolation. Considering that anyone leaving self-isolation threatens the entire community, we decided to publish their names” the government said.
Tea Gorjanc Prelevic from Action for Human rights told Balkan Insight “We expect to see a legal basis for limiting the constitutionally guaranteed right to privacy. Otherwise, it’s illegal”.
Almost all the world’s local laws and international guidelines stipulate that medical information must be kept private. Information relating to health conditions is not allowed to be shared or made public without the patients explicit permission. Furthermore, publishing the names and addresses of citizens without their permission is a violation of their right to privacy. This is also a fundamental human right, enshrined in International and European law.
