To Mr. Janez Jansa Prime Minister of Republic Slovenia Cc. Dragutin Mat Minister of Interior of Republic of Slovenia Cc. Matja Hancek Office of the Ombudsman of Republic of Slovenia Honourable Prime Minister The National Roma Centrum (NRC) is a professional non-governmental organization located in Kumanovo, Macedonia, with the aim of representing and stimulating the active participation and integration of Romani people on the principles of the modern multiethnic European society. National Roma Centrum is writing to express grave concern about the recent Roma eviction, and to urge the authorities of Republic of Slovenia to carry out a prompt, thorough and effective investigation. We are calling for appreciation of basic human rights and freedoms, guaranteed to all people, according to the European Convention of Basic Human Rights and Freedoms, as well as with the Directive 2000/43/ of the EC (Race Directive). We are calling upon these legal instruments, according to them people can choose the manner and place of living, and equal right to participate in local and national policy-making bodies, these rights are guaranteed as well as for marginalized groups and minorities. Honourable Prime Minister The European Court of Human Right’s case law and other international legal standards require a prompt and effective official protection where there are potential violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. Further positive obligations arise where there is a possibility that racial animus may have influenced events, implicating the Convention’s ban on discrimination. States Parties to the Convention ” including Slovenia — have a positive obligation to immediately investigate alleged violations of the European Convention. Such an obligation also arises by implication under Article 1, where the State must secure the “rights and freedoms of the Convention”. Strojan’s family from Ambrus, Slovenia must be protected, but not manipulated and forcible evicted on the basis of ethnic or racial origin. If the family is willing to go back, the state should guarantee this right, without any prejudices by the majority or by the local communities. Strojan’s family has Slovenian citizenship, and upon that they have the right to choose their place of living, as other citizens, this right is established by the Slovenian and International law too. The obligation to investigate is even more pressing where potential Convention violations may have a racial motivation. Under Article 14 of the Convention, everyone’s rights must be protected from discrimination on the basis of race and other grounds were influenced by racial considerations. We also allege an anti-Romani bias among Slovenians citizens and Slovenians authorities. Thus, a thorough investigation should begin at once, to allay any suspicion of racial bias, and to avoid the manifestation of an European Convention violation. Honourable Prime Minister We urge you to undertake any and all measures within the powers available to your office to ensure a swift, full, thorough and effective investigation into the eviction of Strojan’s family, and that any and all perpetrators involved in illegal actions in connection with this will be swiftly brought to justice. We urge further that authorities investigate the possibility of racial motive or animus in the circumstances leading to and/or surrounding Strojan’s family eviction, in addition to seeking to determine whether other forms of wrongdoing have taken place. The results of the investigation, should be transparent, and set to rest any and all open questions surrounding these events.

Asmet Elezovski

Download: Rasism_in_Slovenia.pdf