Human Rights Ombudsman Matjaž Hanžek organised a press conference on 9 July, at which he presented the new graphics of the institution's corporate image, and spoke on some current topics.

The corporate image of Slovenia's Human Rights Ombudsman was designed with the intention of enhancing communication, which is the primary activity of the ombudsman, and to facilitate greater recognisability of the institution, while most importantly emphasising its independence from, at the same time as its involvement in, the state structure. Until now the main symbol of the ombudsman has been the state crest, which despite what is now seven years of operation by this institution, has caused confusion over its position within the state apparatus. Recognisability is essential given the need to reach clearly and concisely various target groups, including groups with relatively little awareness of human rights, to whom the ombudsman intended to devote greater attention upon taking office. And in the wide-ranging international communication, recognisability of the institution plays a major role. The logo is composed of the state crest, the symbol of the ombudsman and wording underneath. The symbol represents two hands, which protect individuality, or an eye, watching over the work of state and other bodies and over violations of human rights. The wording under the symbol expresses the ombudsman's ethical nature: there are not great or small rights – all of them are equal and they must all be protected. The selected colour scheme is simple (blue on a yellow background for the ombudsman and blue on a white background for employees) and pleasing to the eye, and the intention was particularly to avoid any kind of lurid advertising colours. The corporate image works both on the visual and, with the choice of paper, also on the tactile senses. The intention was primarily to approach communication with a variety of groups in all due responsibility and seriousness. The image is a kind of garment for the institution, its packaging, which without proper substance does not function, but it enables enhanced and clear communication.

The ombudsman selected the team for production of the corporate image based on his conviction that diversity enriches, and that we should know how to make use of the potentials offered both by local people and also by those who come here from elsewhere. The head of the project is Miroslav Nune Popović, who a few years ago patented the concept of the creative resistance against Milošević, which was successfully carried out in the nineties by the Serbian student movement Otpor. The image designer is Darko Miladinović, who has also left his creative mark in the offices of Prime Minister Drnovšek, while consultation and design of the 2001 Annual Report was provided by the professor of design and graphics at the Ljubljana Fine Arts Academy, Zdravko Papič.

The entire project, including VAT, cost around 2 million tolars.

The ombudsman continued the press conference with a critical assessment of the adoption of laws in Slovenia. The ombudsman believes that laws are frequently poorly drafted, prior to their adoption the consequences they will bring are not known, there are numerous cases where implementing regulations are not adopted, as they should be, and it also often happens that laws are changed even before they enter into force. For this reason we will devote even greater attention to the drafting of laws, especially in the parts that touch upon human rights, and more intensively draw attention to their drawbacks and deficiencies, said the ombudsman.

The ombudsman went on to say that he had paid great attention over the past two months to the difficulties of disadvantaged or marginalised groups, including the disabled, Roma and refugees. Here he welcomed the recent adoption in parliament of the possibility for electing Roma representatives to municipal councils, although in his view it is not right that the state system has delegated this issue to local communities. In addition to this, funds for dealing with Roma issues should be arranged on the state level . He also mentioned the great difficulties the Roma have with unemployment, “since after 1990 almost all of them lost their jobs, and even now because of their ethnic background no one wants to employ them”. In Hanžek’s opinion, the case of the Roma reflects the policies of the Slovenian state towards all marginalised groups, for whom the state reduces their chances of providing for themselves, and through a variety of regulations condemns them to live on social security.

The ombudsman also responded to a press question in connection with the investigation carried out by Ljubljana police officers on the night of Sunday to Monday at the premises of the Avtonomna cona Molotov in Kurilniška Street in Ljubljana. He stated that an enquiry had already been launched into the status of the building, in which young people had arranged premises for the activities of various formal and informal societies and organisations, and an enquiry would also be conducted at the police force.

"Before I start accusing anyone, I need to obtain information from both sides,” he added. “But I could tell you straight off my own thinking, which however I cannot at this moment back up with any evidence, and which could be very wrong,” he continued, going on to express the feeling that the intervention by the police against the users of the building was more severe than was necessary, because the group of users was politically orientated against Slovenia’s entry into Nato. He is convinced that they would have had less trouble if they were apolitical.