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The organization of state administration in medieval Serbia was regulated by common laws,
chrysobulls (charters) and translations of Byzantine civil and church laws. The first acknowledged
written charters of the Serbian medieval state go back to the XII century.

The most distinguished written source related to the development of security-intelligence structures
in the territory of medieval Serbia originates from the period of the Emperor Stefan Dusan
Nemanjic's rule (from around 1308 to 1355). In that period of time "the Law of the godly Emperor
Stefan" or the so-called Emperor Dusan's Code was adopted as the most significant legal document
of that time, which had an important role in the historical development of the Serbian law,
organizing of the state and regulating of social relations.

The first part of this Code (up to its 135 article) was enacted on the national assembly in Skopje, on
May 21, 1349, on the Ascension Day (Spasovdan). Its second part (up to its 201 article) was codified
on the national assembly in Ser in 1354, in the form of amendments.

According to the Dusan's Code, a kefalija (town chief) was one of the main carriers of the work
corresponding to the present police and security-intelligence work. The kefalija was a town chief,
district governor and duke in town in charge of both military and civil activities. With help of his
associates he maintained law and order, secured law abiding, gave commands for preservation of
order, forced court decisions, deployed road guards for travelers' security purposes, protected
property, carried out investigations and determined factual circumstances, arrested and
incarcerated suspects with aim to subsequently transfer them to court and, on certain occasions, he
personally punished them. Kefalija had right to pronounce sentences for all the braches obstructing
the established law and order.

Within the military and combined military-police competences, kefalija was in charge of the town
fortresses maintenance and, in case of war danger, he would determine a common duty for all the
citizens – duty to protect, stand on guard in cities and on roads (gradobljudenije), which was beyond
doubt one of the most significant defensive and security measures.

The system of intelligence work was developed during the Emperor Dusan's rule, primarily with help
of landowners in bordering areas (border landowners), but with help of spies as well (spies had
crucial role in the battle of Velbuzd in 1330 and they examined in detail the arrangement of Turkish
army forces in the battle of Kosovo in 1389). At that time great significance was attributed to the
fight against the enemy spies (counterintelligence).

From the First Serbian Uprising in 1804 up to the establishment of the Department for Secret
Police Work in 1899

During the First Serbian Uprising (1804-1813) the civil security-intelligence work was not organized
in a separate institution, but was carried out within the military-administrative service of the
revolutionary Serbia.

Revolutionary authorities maintained order by preventing attacks on authorities, physical protection

of the Governing Council (Praviteljstvujušči sovjet), Karadjordje and certain prominent seniors,
appeasing the internal conflicts and unrests.

The first building of the Ministry of Interior (1862) was situated near the City Hall of today

The suppression of espionage conducted by Turkey and other countries (Austria, Russia and at one
point in time France as well) was far more challenging for military and police authorities of the
revolutionary state. Revolutionary authorities targeted infiltrated Turkish spies and Serbs who
provided information to Turks.

In 1808 the Governing Council issued order to preventively banish from Belgrade and other Serbian
cities all betraying individuals that are potentially involved in espionage for the enemy purposes,
while, according to the Decree from 1809, police and judicial authorities "were to pay special
attention to malevolent people, outlaws, spies and similar". Also, in July 1810, the Council issued
order that correspondence from Serbia was to be made exclusively in Serbian language and that it is
to be inspected prior to its delivering to "the ferryboat", i.e. to its sending to other countries.

The first document from the era of Karadjordje, which embodied the proposal for the development
of the civil intelligence-security activities, was "Nacertanije for police authority's organization in
Belgrade and other places in the Fatherland" from March 8, 1811.

For the first time the police and military work was separated in this document (Article 1). The
position of "the Head of Police" (polizeimeister), responsible to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was
established. The Head of Police was superior to so-called "liktors" – assistants for the interior,
foreign and secret services (Article 4).
Namely, the first Ministry of Internal Affairs was established in January 1811 within the new
Governing Council. Jakov Nenadovic was named as its first Minister. The founding of this Ministry
had great significance for the development of security and intelligence functions, but also for bodies
for their enforcement. Apart from abiding the state authorities' legal work, handling of "internal
affairs" referring to the security of citizens and property, tax gathering, suppression of outlaws,
control of roads and crossings, public law and order, the Minister was in charge of the civil security-
intelligence work as well.

Encoded telegram sent by the Head of the District of Valjevo Mata Radovic to the Minister of Interior
(December 12, 1882.)

In the period of his first rule (1815-1839), Prince Milos Obrenovic devoted great attention to the
organization of security-intelligence activities carried out in two directions. The first direction was
aimed at securing the Prince's rule from internal coups, uprisings and plots, Turkish military
aggression against Serbia and interfering of Russia and Austria in Serbian internal affairs. The second
direction was aimed at law and order in the country, i.e. control of administrative institutions' work,
conduct of authorities towards the people, control of life standard and rotation of the currency
value in open markets, inspection of sanitary facilities' work and similar.

In the time of Milos's rule, the security-intelligence bodies were engaged in secret procurement of
weaponry and war equipment from abroad, protection from top secret disclosure, gathering of
political-diplomatic notifications, revealing of misinformation on Serbia and its Prince, as well as in
channeling of foreign political views towards the existing requirements of Milos's policy.

In the period when Serbs struggled to establish national autonomy, gathering of secret data and
information was made by means of verbal narrating of eyewitnesses and hirelings, written deliveries
and passwords.

The gaining of autonomy (1830) resulted in wider organizing of political intelligence work in Serbia.
With aim to protect the security of Princess Ljubica, the Administration of the town of Belgrade" was
founded in 1830. On April 2, 1831, Prince Milos enacted Decree on establishing "the Secret police for
political affairs" within the Belgrade police.

The state administration in the Principality of Serbia was organized by issuing the document
"Structuring of the Central State Administration" on March 10, 1862, which was important also for
the further development of security-intelligence activities. The competence of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs included "concern regarding the order, peace, security of individuals and properties
in the country, monitoring of the public places, press, journalism and malevolent people and
societies".

Following the Berlin Congress (1878), Serbia became an independent country. Upon acquiring its
independence, Prince Milan implemented reforms in 1882 related to the army and public security
institutions.

From establishment of the Department for Secret Police Work in 1899 up to the end of WWI in
1918

The civil security-intelligence work has been institutionalized for the first time in Serbia by Law on
amendments of the Central State Administration organizing ("Serbian newspapers – The Official
Gazette of the Kingdom of Serbia, no. 227, from October 8/20 1899"). By this Law, adopted on
October 5/17 1899 on the session of the National Assembly held in Nis, the Department for Secret
Police Work was established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with task "to ensure the
preservation of the internal state order and worldly security in general ".

This Department's field of work included intelligence and counterintelligence activities, suppression
of anti-state propaganda and outlaw activities, suppression of terrorism, corruption and similar.

On October 11/23, 1899, Jovan S. Milovanovic was named the first Head of the Department.
Milovanovic was the founder of Serbian stenography, the former president of the Trade court and
retired member of the Appellation court.

In terms of organization, the secret polices of France and Austria-Hungary served as models to the
Department for Secret Police Work. The Law stipulated that, apart from the Head of Department,
the Department should have its secretary and lower ranking officials, as well as an independent
archive that stored "all the acts of confidential nature" "under the special surveillance and care of
the Head of Department". Duty of the first secretary of this Department was carried out by Milan M.
Djordjevic.

In accordance with the King Aleksandar Obrenovic's Decree in 1900, the Police department in the
Ministry of Interior became competent for the work of the Department for Secret Police Work.
Respecting the significance of the first legal structuring of civil security-intelligence work in Serbia,
the Security-Information Agency celebrates October 17 as its day.

Between the World Wars (1918 – 1941)

After the end of World War I and constitution of new state – the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes, according to the Decree on Organizing Ministry of Internal Affairs from May 8, 1919, the
Directorate for Public Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was in charge of performing civil
security-intelligence work.

The Department for State Protection was established by decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
passed on December 23, 1920. According to this decision, the department had task to "gather
information, organise supervision and undertake all the necessary measures against persons, either
our citizens or foreigners, who disturb integrity of the state, are involved in propaganda activity for
the benefit of some other state and contrary to our own state interests and whose earlier or current
activities can be considered suspicious".

According to the Code of Conduct adopted on January 10, 1921, the Department for State Protection
was divided into 4 sections and 27 subsections.

The first section comprised 5 subsections: 1. Secretariat, 2. Archive, 3. Registrar's Office, 4. Passports
and movement of passengers and 5. Journalist subsection.

The second section was divided into 6 subsections: 1. Communists and Anarchists, 2. Suspicious
Russians, 3. Immigration Agency, 4. Control of Foreigners, 5. Associations and Clubs and 6. Foreign
Offices.

The third section consisted of 9 subsections: 1. Italian propaganda, 2. Austrian and German
propaganda, 3. Hungarian propaganda, 4. Romanian propaganda, 5. Other suspicious foreigners, 6.
Suspicious citizens of Croatia and Slavonia, 7. Suspicious citizens of Slovenia, 8. Suspicious citizens of
Vojvodina and 9. Suspicious citizens of Dalmatia.

The fourth section included 7 subsections: 1. Bulgarian propaganda, 2. Arnaut propaganda, 3.

Muslim propaganda, 4. Greece propaganda, 5. Suspicious citizens of Serbia, 6. Suspicious citizens of
Bosnia and 7. Suspicious citizens of Montenegro.
Field of activity of the Department for State Protection was regulated in detail by the Instruction for
suppressing anti-state propaganda and foreign espionage passed on November 26, 1923. In line with
this act, the department was responsible for intelligence and counter-intelligence police issues,
control, security and keeping of records on foreigners, dealing with immigrant issues and
repatriation, suppression of anti-state propaganda, control of foreign military defectors, monitoring
and control of associations, various gatherings and manifestations and other issues on which a
proper record was kept. Furthermore, the department was in charge of drafting new bills with aim
to protect the state.

After abolition of the Vidovdan Constitution and dismissal of parliament on January 6, 1929, and
then establishment of new government led by Petar Živković, a series of laws and regulations on
state administration reform were adopted.

According to the Law on Internal Administration from January 19, 1929 and the Decree on Structure
of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Department for State Protection developed into the First
Department within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The department was divided into 2 sections (first
section – for suppressing internal anti-state and destructive propaganda and conducting actions
along with the intelligence service and second section – for suppressing external anti-state
propaganda and conducting actions along with the intelligence service) and 3 subsections
(Subsection for police supervision of foreigners and passenger traffic, Administrative Subsection and
Subsection for the Press).

The Department for State Protection was organised in this way up to the occupation of the Kingdom
of Yugoslavia in 1941.

World War II (1941 – 1945)

Upon the end of April war and signing capitulation on April 17, 1941, the Ministry of Interior of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia continued to act within the immigration government.

Intelligence service of the refugee government continued its work within missions in allied and
neutral states which offered hospitability. The work was primarily oriented towards maintaining
relations with motherland and providing financial help to the Movement of Draža Mihajlović, as well
as conducting intelligence activities directed to the mission of the self-proclaimed Independent State
of Croatia in Madrid.
One of the founders of intelligence service of the immigration government was Vladeta Milićević
who acted as Minister of Interior from 1943 to 1944. After the war he continued performing
intelligence tasks for King Petar II Karađorđević and returned to country in 1966.

From the very beginning of World War II and establishment of partisan movement, People's
Liberation Boards were set up as governing bodies which included bodies in charge of order and
security in certain territories. At the consultations in Stolice near Krupanj on September 26, 1941,
first intelligence and counter-intelligence services were established and their organisational
structure and mutual relationship was determined, while in late October 1941 were appointed first
intelligence (information) officers in partisan headquarters.

In mid-September 1943 in Jajce, the Office for Protection of People was established within the
Supreme Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia and Yugoslav partisan units
with task to unit intelligence and counter-intelligence work and set up an intelligence service
(advanced trainings were organised, as well).

On May 13, 1944, the office developed into the Section for Protection of People (OZN) within the
Agency for People's Protection of the National Committee for Liberation of Yugoslavia.

The Belgrade agreement signed by Josip Broz Tito and President of Royal Government Ivan Šubašić
on November 1, 1944 acknowledged international and legal continuity of Yugoslavia. By a decree of
royal regents and upon the proposal of AVNOJ Presidency a new joint government – the Interim
Government of Democratic Federative Yugoslavia – was established on March 7, 1945.

Period between 1945 and 2002

The Section for Protection of People (OZN) was established on military principles on May 13, 1944 as
central counter-intelligence and intelligence service within the Agency for People's Protection of the
National Committee for Liberation of Yugoslavia. OZN operative unit was established on August 15,
1944 under the name of People's Defence Corps of Yugoslavia (KNOJ).

OZN field of activity included intelligence work directed abroad and towards occupied territory,
counter-intelligence protection of liberated territory and military counter-intelligence work. OZN
consisted of 6 divisions: first division – intelligence work, second division – counter-intelligence
service in liberated territory, third division – counter-intelligence service in the army, fourth division
– for statistics and technology, fifth division – for detecting and countering activities of foreign
services (as of January 1945) and sixth division – for counter-intelligence protection of
transportation objects and institutions in the country (as of April 1945).

The Section for Protection of People in Serbia was established in June 1944, while the same sections
in Vojvodina and Kosovo and Metohia were set up in August the same year.

Furthermore, in October 1944 a special department of OZN was established for the City of Belgrade
which was directly subordinate to the Ministry of National Defence of the Democratic Federative
Yugoslavia.

After the adoption of Constitution of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (FNRY) on January
31, 1946, reorganisation of state bodies and state administration was performed according to which
a part of OZN was transferred from the Ministry of National Defence to the Ministry of Interior.

At the end of the process in March 1946, I, II, V , VI and some parts of IV division (the Radio Centre
and the Ciphering Group) of OZN were gathered to form the State Security Department (UDB).

UDB was strictly centralized and included: UDB in the Ministry of Interior (MUP) of FNRY, UDB bodies
at the level of ministries and UDB authorizations for districts. As of July 1952, UDB members were
introduced civil titles.

UDB had the following field of activity: "organising service, undertaking measures and performing
governing tasks with the aim of detecting and preventing activities oriented towards undermining
and disrupting constitutionally determined economic, political and legal order and gathering
information to this effect."

UDB was divided into 8 departments: 1. Intelligence department, 2. Political department (struggle
against internal enemy), 3. Counter-intelligence department, 4. Relations and keeping of records 5.
Service for material and technical protection and financial affairs, 6. Counter-intelligence protection
of the highest state and party officials, 7. Cryptography protection of secret data and 8. Personnel
department.

After the Brijuni plenary session in July 1966, UDB was reorganised. The State Security Service (SDB)
was established by the Basic Law on Internal Affairs within the Federal Secretariat for Internal Affairs
(SSUP). State security work was decentralised, transferred to newly established republic and
provincial security services within republic or provincial secretariats responsible for internal affairs,
and directed, coordinated and harmonised by SSUP.

After the breakdown of SFRY, the State Security Directorate of the Republic of Serbia was
established in the Republic of Serbia within the Ministry of Interior by the Law on Internal Affairs and
the Decree on principles for internal organisation and systematization of working posts in ministries
and specialised organizations from 1991.

The State Security Directorate ceased to exist in 2002 with the adoption of the Law on Security-
Information Agency.

The Security-Information Agency is established in July 27, 2002 by the Law on Security-Information
Agency. According to the law, for the first time in modern Serbian history civil security-intelligence
work is separated from the Ministry of Interior.