Today, 21 October 2024, the Human Rights Ombudsman (hereafter: Ombudsman) Peter Svetina and Dr. Simona Drenik Bavdek, assistant head of the Center for Human Rights, met with representatives of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), who are visiting Slovenia this week to prepare the sixth report on the state of human rights in the country.

Ombudsman Svetina presented the key findings and recommendations of the Ombudsman, which stem from the consideration of individual complaints and own analyses in relation to equality, prevention of hate speech, integration of vulnerable groups, and access to human rights. "Regarding hate speech and other hate crimes, despite our recommendations, which we have been repeating for years, Slovenia has still not introduced effective legislative changes to prevent hate speech, especially in the media and online. I am disappointed that those responsible in the country have repeatedly rejected our recommendation regarding the possibility of expanding the subsidiary prosecution of hate speech to a wider range of victims who are affected by it," Ombudsman Svetina emphasised at the meeting.

Regarding the treatment of foreigners, especially migrants, the Ombudsman warned of unacceptably long administrative procedures, as most of the complaints considered by the institution of the Ombudsman relate to them, especially to administrative units in Ljubljana, Maribor, Slovenske Konjice, and Koper. "We have repeatedly warned that the procedures involving minors take too long, and the deadline has been greatly exceeded several times, even by more than four months," said Ombudsman Peter Svetina.

The Human Rights Ombudsman will continue to actively monitor the situation in the aforementioned areas and cooperate with ECRI and other international and domestic institutions in order to ensure respect for the human rights and dignity of all individuals in Slovenia.