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Ombudsman submit an Annual report 2003


It became clear in 2003 that human rights cannot be taken for granted in Slovenia, which is a reason why one cannot be happy when scrutinizing human rights situation. This is what Slovenian ombudsman Matjaž Hanžek said on Thursday, 15 April, as he presented his annual human rights report for last year.

Hanžek identified the major problem of the protection of human rights in a number of outbursts of intolerance, most evident in problems surrounding the erased inhabitants of Slovenia and the planned construction of an Islamic centre. "Nevertheless, these two are not isolated cases," he said. Politicians embarked on settling the issues of the erased and a mosque last year, both of which should have been resolved "ages ago", Hanžek was critical of the authorities inactivity. However, once they did begin to address them, they were met with strong opposition from several groups of citizens. This opposition, stressed Hanžek, was sparked by the manner in which certain political parties went about tacking the issues. Then, "a vague and elusive response of the government led to more confusion and increased intolerance", stressed Hanžek. This proves, the ombudsman went on to say, that the government has not yet worked out an anti-discrimination strategy, for which reason he proposes that a national institution where one would learn about human rights should be established.

The ombudsman also highlighted rather high tolerance towards intolerance in the Slovenian society, and stressed that statements by politicians inciting hatred and intolerance should be punished.

Apart from the inability to accept those who are different and in addition to the discrimination of marginalized groups, there are several other "burning" areas where human rights are not respected, stressed Hanžek, who has held the office since February 2001. For instance, as many as ten Constitutional Court rulings have not yet been implemented; the court backlogs are still huge; and the quality of court trials has been questioned on several occasions.

According to Hanžek, it is inadmissible for the parliament not to respect the Constitutional Court rulings; one of the overdue rulings is as many as 8 years old. As a result of organizational changes in the judiciary in 1995, many small courts were set up, and when one judge is absent, court backlog accumulates rapidly.

Slovenian prisons are still overcrowded, and prisoners are not protected well enough from violence of their inmates. Yet, the situation in complaints against police work has somehow improved. The number of complaints did increase in 2003, yet the complaints were similar to those from previous years.

Hanžek also mentioned mental health as problematic. In his view, Slovenian politicians show no interest in one of the most marginalized groups here. He has been urging the parliament for several years now to adopt a comprehensive mental health act, he said. In his view, addition treatment is inadequate in Slovenia as well.

Another area which remains problematic is children's rights and domestic violence, said Hanžek, whose office made these two fields one of its priorities last year. He pointed the finger at the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, which should have drafted an anti-domestic violence bill last year.

He also criticized lengthy court proceedings regarding custody rights. "Judges should be specialized in children's affairs and special departments for children should be set up at the courts" to process the cases faster, said Hanžek.

"The safeguarding of collective minority rights which are not specified in the constitution is not property regulated," according to Hanžek, who also misses a coordinated policy on Roma issues. "Romany people should be better integrated in the society," he added.

Also discriminated against are several small religious communities, which the ombudsman partly blames on the Government Office for Religious Communities. "Its failure to act only makes things worse," he stressed.

The ombudsman also pointed to several professional organizations which often protect the reputation of its members instead of the entire profession.

Ombudsman Matjaz Hanžek spoke to the press on Thursday after handing the 2003 human rights report to the speaker of the National Assembly. He also said he was reassured by Borut Pahor that the report would be discussed by parliament as early as the regular session till the end of July.

 

SOURCE: STA, 16. 4. 2004

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