Security vetting: New standards of the national security system of the Republic of Serbia

Security vetting determines existence (or non-existence) of security issues for giving or for denying a security license for being entitled to a particular right. The most frequent subject to security vetting is the suitability for admission to employment in a particular state body or in schools from which members of the security sector are recruited, to advance in service, to assume responsible duties in certain state bodies, to access classified information, facilities and persons enjoying security protection and to procure weapons. However, in totalitarian regimes, this security measure may be abused in order to achieve the objectives of the regime in power. That is when intelligence agencies are abused to inflict unreasonable burdens on the life and liberty of citizens, who are most often subjected to terror and torture as a result of this. In order to prevent potential abuse, the Republic of Serbia, as a relatively young democracy, has developed a normative framework for professional and ethically correct security vetting. The latest standards for security vetting have been incorporated into the law, by-laws and regulations covering the areas of internal affairs, defense and intelligence and security services.