Ombudsman Matjaz Hanzek has announced that his office would start paying greater attention to online hate speech. The Ombudsman's Office has already alerted the prosecution to one website containing blatant examples of hate speech, Hanzek told the press in Ljubljana on 6. September.

According to Hanzek, the website contains many postings and messages with "explicitly negative attitude" to immigrants from the former Yugoslav republics, some of which even call for the killing of these people.

The propagation of such ideas runs contrary to the constitutional ban on the promotion of inequity and intolerance, as well as many international human rights conventions, he said.

The ombudsman has therefore asked the Ljubljana District State Prosecutor's Office to look into the case and determine whether it qualifies for prosecution under the penal code.

According to Hanzek, who is hopeful that the website authors will be found, the prosecutors have handed the matter over to the police, which will "do everything it takes to track down the perpetrators."