Council of Europe (CoE) Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg finds it unacceptable that a Slovenian Roma family had to leave its home because of the demands of the majority population in the area. He announced the CoE would address a letter to the government pointing to the need to protect the human rights of all citizens.
"I came here to learn what actually happened in Ambrus in the end of October and what can be done to avoid a repetition of that unfortunate development," Hammarberg told the press in Ljubljana on Thursday. The press conference took place a day after meeting several government representatives and the family in the centre of the turmoil.

Hammarberg said that he respected the government's "serious and sincere efforts" aimed at finding a solution to protect the family. However, he added that the future development of the situation is foremost in the hands of the family, which should also have to possibility to move back to their homes in Ambrus if it so desires.

Hammarberg added that "experience from other countries in similar situations has shown that it is desirable that representatives of the two sides meet in orderly forms to talk and try to find solutions to any outstanding grievances".

He pointed to the basic principles important in this case, principles based also on the European Convention on Human Rights to which Slovenia is a party. These stipulate that everyone lawfully within the territory of the state has the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence.

Other provisions state that everyone has the right to respect for their private and family life and for their home, he added.

"Whatever happens here, I sincerely hope that the European convention will be respected," Hammarberg stressed. The Strojan family, which is staying at an obsolete army barracks in Postojna, is still looking for a new location with government assistance.

He moreover said that the family has the right to protection from physical and verbal threats and pointed out that criminal acts by individuals within each community should be treated as police matters, investigated accordingly and followed up according to the law.

"Collectives to which such individuals belong should no be blamed, because if this happens, innocent people will be targeted," he explained, referring to the fact that the incident in Ambrus was triggered by alleged criminal behaviour of a member of the Roma settlement in Ambrus.

As to government efforts regarding the Roma issue in Slovenia, Hammarberg said that talks with representatives, in particular Education Minister Milan Zver, who heads the government commission for the Roma, made him hopeful that things would improve.

In this context he suggested that the practice of including Roma representatives in municipal council should be extended to all municipalities. The commissioner also welcomed government efforts to adopt a special law to secure the inclusion of the Roma into society.

He meanwhile also pointed to the need to counter all xenophobic tendencies in society. "There is a need for voices of reason and tolerance..., with opinion-makers in society having a particular obligation," he noted.

"I'm thinking about leading politicians..., church leaders and others active in the debate and with high prestige in the society," he said.

He urged the government and the opposition to seek ways of standing up in a clear way against xenophobia and hate speech. He added that he has seen signs of hate speech, which he did not expect to find in a well developed country like Slovenia.

The commissioner explained that his visit was partly also prompted by government criticism of Human Rights Ombudsman Matjaz Hanzek for having informed him of the situation.

"Governments have to respect and accept that ombudsman are independent, that it is their role to represent people who suffer abuses. It is also the role of the ombudsman to criticise authorities when relevant," he explained, adding that this should be welcomed by governments.

Hammarberg meanwhile told STA that anti-Roma tendencies are emerging in many European countries, with the commissioner believing that this can partly be attributed to a lack of knowledge about the Roma culture.

People do not know the history of the Roma people, they are not aware that the Roma have for years been suffering terrible oppression, he said, adding that the Nazis killed more than 500,000 of them.

Hammarberg explained that understanding that this humiliation and discrimination has affected the Roma's attitude towards the rest of society is crucial if the Roma are to be successfully integrated into society.

According to Hammarberg, the reasons for the current climate in Slovenia should not be sought in the country's economic situation as Slovenia is not poor and is developing successfully, but rather in human nature.

"It is a common tendency that people, when scared, choose to target those who are worse off and marginalised. This is a common phenomenon witnessed in many countries," he concluded.

Read the whole statement of Thomas Hammarberg on the CoE web site