After passing a law that gives police the power to search and monitor homes in so-called "high-risk" areas, the Slovenian government has been accused of turning Roma settlements into "security zones," The Guardian reports.
The Slovenian parliament voted at midnight on Monday to support the “Šutarov Law,” named after Aleš Šutarov, who was killed in a confrontation with a 21-year-old Roma man after he rushed to a nightclub to respond to a call for help from his son.
An incident in front of the LokalPatriot club in Novo Mesto, southern Slovenia, last month led to mass protests, the deployment of police in Roma settlements and the resignation of two ministers, the British newspaper reminds.
Prime Minister Robert Golob of the Freedom Party promised new security measures, which he said were "not directed against any ethnic group, but against crime itself."
However, critics have said the changes are discriminatory and "treat an entire minority as a security threat."
The European Commission yesterday called on Slovenia to ensure that no community suffers disproportionate consequences from the new law.
"We call on Slovenia to ensure that the implementation of the so-called 'Šutar Law' does not disproportionately affect any community. It must also not create vulnerability for communities that are already at risk. Of course, it is important to address the issue of security and maintain public order, but the measures must be fully in line with European Union law and fundamental rights," said European Commission spokeswoman Eva Hrnčirova, reported by the Slovenian News Agency (STA).
The Commission announced that it will further study the law after it is signed by Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar and when it officially enters into force, which is expected in 2026.
The international non-governmental organization Amnesty International called for a vote against the law, condemning its "malicious rhetoric" and fearing its application "arbitrarily and in a discriminatory manner against the Roma population."
Several professors from the Faculty of Law at the University of Ljubljana warned in a statement that parts of the law are unconstitutional.
The law on emergency measures to strengthen public security, which was first introduced two weeks after Šutaro's death, was watered down before the final vote on Monday, but retained a number of controversial provisions.
Police will be able to enter private property or a means of transport in a “security-risk area” without a court order if it is “inevitably necessary to immediately seize firearms to protect people”. They will also be able to use technical means for photography and recording, such as drones or license plate recognition systems, if it is assessed that lives or property are at risk. The law also provides for an extension of detention if the suspect has not been sentenced within a period of two years, while a stricter prison sentence of six months to three years is introduced for the crime of violence.
Special measures have also been introduced for the confiscation of illegally acquired property and interventions in social protection, such as in the case of underage parents.
According to the law, “security risk areas” are geographically determined by the Director General of Police or the Director of the Police Department, based on a security assessment.
Mensur Haliti, vice president of the Roma Foundation for Europe, said the law was discriminatory.
He stated: “This law turns entire settlements into security zones, and their inhabitants into security categories. It reduces the political cost of targeting those who are already excluded from free and fair political participation - for political gain. Slovenia has done something that Europe rarely acknowledges happening within the Union: it has adopted a law that treats an entire minority as a security threat,” he told The Guardian.
"A Union that allows fear to become politics at home cannot lecture its neighbors on democracy and the rule of law. If Europe cannot maintain its standards within its borders, it cannot convincingly demand them abroad," Haliti added.
A coalition of left-wing political parties refused to participate in the parliamentary process, calling the law repressive. However, there is evidence of a high level of public support for it.
A survey conducted by the Mediana agency for RTV Slovenia showed that more than 60% of respondents agree with the government's reaction.
According to data from the Roma Council of Slovenia, there are 15.000 Roma in the country of two million inhabitants, many in around 100 camps, only a third of which have basic services such as water and electricity.
The law was adopted ahead of national elections in March, in which Prime Minister Golob's party faces defeat from the right-wing nationalist Slovenian Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Janez Janša.
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