DRAGOJEVIĆ v. CROATIA JUDGMENT
23
79. Such an interference is justified by the terms of paragraph 2 of
Article 8 only if it is “in accordance with the law”, pursues one or more of
the legitimate aims referred to in paragraph 2 and is “necessary in a
democratic society” in order to achieve the aim or aims (see, amongst many
others, Kvasnica v. Slovakia, no. 72094/01, § 77, 9 June 2009).
80. The expression “in accordance with the law” under Article 8 �� 2 in
general requires, first, that the impugned measure should have some basis in
domestic law; it also refers to the quality of the law in question, requiring
that it should be compatible with the rule of law and accessible to the person
concerned, who must, moreover, be able to foresee its consequences for
him, and compatible with the rule of law (see, for example, Kruslin v.
France, 24 April 1990, § 27, Series A no. 176-A).
81. In particular, in the context of secret measures of surveillance as the
interception of communications, the requirement of legal “foreseeability”
cannot mean that an individual should be able to foresee when the
authorities are likely to intercept his communications so that he can adapt
his conduct accordingly. However, where a power of the executive is
exercised in secret the risks of arbitrariness are evident. Thus, the domestic
law must be sufficiently clear in its terms to give individuals an adequate
indication as to the circumstances in which and the conditions on which
public authorities are empowered to resort to any such measures (see, for
example, Malone, cited above, § 67; Huvig v. France, 24 April 1990, § 29,
Series A no. 176-B; Valenzuela Contreras v. Spain, 30 July 1998, § 46,
Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1998-V; Weber and Saravia v.
Germany (dec.), no. 54934/00, § 93, ECHR 2006 XI; and Bykov v. Russia
[GC], no. 4378/02, § 76, 10 March 2009).
82. The Court has also stressed the need for safeguards in this
connection (see Kvasnica, cited above, § 79). In particular, since the
implementation in practice of measures of secret surveillance of
communications is not open to scrutiny by the individuals concerned or the
public at large, it would be contrary to the rule of law for the legal discretion
granted to the executive or to a judge to be expressed in terms of an
unfettered power. Consequently, the law must indicate the scope of any
such discretion conferred on the competent authorities and the manner of its
exercise with sufficient clarity to give the individual adequate protection
against arbitrary interference (see Bykov, cited above, § 78, and Blaj, cited
above, § 128).
83. Furthermore, in view of the risk that a system of secret surveillance
for the protection of national security may undermine or even destroy
democracy under the cloak of defending it, the Court must be satisfied that
there exist guarantees against abuse which are adequate and effective. This
assessment depends on all the circumstances of the case, such as the nature,
scope and duration of the possible measures, the grounds required for
ordering them, the authorities competent to permit, carry out and supervise
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