The Slovenian Human Rights Ombudsman, Zdenka Čebašek-Travnik, firmly denounces the recent act committed by thus far unidentified perpetrators against members of the Roma community in Lendava. In her view, this act involves elements of hate speech, and is moreover convinced that the police will take all appropriate steps to discover the perpetrators.

The act which took place in a municipality that is otherwise a model of co-existence between the Roma and non-Roma population, is considered cowardly by the HRO. Obviously, the perpetrators are not willing to express their views publicly and resorted to destructive and hostile acts. By its context, the event is also directed against the efforts of the Republic of Slovenia to resolve Roma-related issues.

The HRO today addressed a long letter to the government, summarizing the problems caused by disorderly conditions and faced by both the Roma and the people living in certain other parts of Slovenia, with whom the Roma are coming into socially undesirable contacts. The background to this issue involves the poor social conditions in which Roma live and which, as a rule, generate their undesirable behaviour. Such conditions can only be improved by way of integration and the regular and substantive cooperation of the Roma, points out the HRO, while highlighting the positive role of the Roma academic club.

Moreover, the HRO takes the view that the government's concern for improving the relations between the Roma and non-Roma population is inadequate.