[ Una dettagliata analisi sul "genocidio amministrativo" attuato negli
ultimi 13 anni in Slovenia ai danni di quegli abitanti che si sono
rifiutati di chiedere la cittadinanza del nuovo staterello monoetnico.
Staterello che oggi - avendo dimostrato di garantire i prerequisiti
richiesti, spec. fedelta' all'Occidente e riforma in senso
neoliberista dell'economia - e' entrato a far parte della Unione
Europea...
Vedi anche:
LA SLOVENIA TRA NATO ED UE (english / italiano / po slovenskom)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3459
"IZBRISANI", "ERASED", "CANCELLATI"
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3365
LA SLOVENIA E LE "FRATERNE UNIONI DI POPOLI"
http://auth.unimondo.org/cfdocs/obportal/
index.cfm?fuseaction=news.notizia&NewsID=3082 ]
http://preventgenocide.org/europe/slovenia/
News Monitor for Slovenia, 1998 to 2004
Focusing on coverage of the Izbrisani (Erased Citizens) issue,
concerning "administrative ethnic cleansing'
Slovenia ratified the Genocide Convention on July 6,1992.
Previously the Yugoslavia ratified the Convention on August 29, 1950.
Slovenia became a party to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the
Additional Geneva Protocols of 1977 on March 26, 1992.
Slovenia ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
on December 31, 2001.
The Izbrisani (Erased residents) Issue in Slovenia:
An introduction by Jim Fussell (Feb. 26, 2004), followed by news articles.
On February 26, 1992, the newly independent state of Slovenia deleted
the names of some 30,000 residents from the nation's civil registries.
The targeted population, which came to be known as izbrisani (erased
residents) were not of Slovenian ancestry, but were so-called 'new
minorities" including ethnic Serbs, ethnic Croats and ethnic Bosnian
Muslims, ethnic Albanian Kosovars and ethnic Roma which the government
sought to force out of the country. (In contrast 'old minorities'
include ethnic Italians and ethnic Hungarians, specifically mentioned
in the December 1991 Constitution.)
Twelve years later the Slovenian Government has still not yet
acted to fully redress this massive violation of human rights. Critics
of this radical action by the Slovenian government have sometimes
characterized the mass erasure as 'soft genocide' or 'administrative
genocide." A more appropriate term is probably 'administrative ethnic
cleansing' or 'civil death.' By whatever description, redress for the
mass 'erasure' is still badly needed. In other historical contexts
this kind of radical action which in and of itself is a massive
violation of human rights, has been a step toward more extreme actions
including mass expulsion and even genocide. In the case of Slovenia,
the izbrisani were targeted for elimination solely on account of the
non-Slovene groups into which they were born. Furthermore, this
'administrative ethnic cleansing' on February 26, 1992 in Slovenia can
be viewed as a contributing factor to the radicalization in former
Yugoslavia which only a few months later saw violent ethnic cleansing
in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The policy of "mass erasure", which could also be called mass
denationalization, must especially be condemned because it was a
partially successful policy, causing over one-third (12,000 out of
30,000) of the targeted population to leave Slovenia. When officials
asked an izbrisani for his old Yugoslav passport the top right corner
would be cut off, making the document useless and marking the bearer
for further discrimination. The izbrisani (erased residents) were not
forced out at gunpoint and their homes were not burned down as in
Bosnia, nevertheless they lost their jobs, medical benefits and
sometimes were deported for minor offenses. The multiple possible
translations of the term "izbrisati" (erase, red pencil, rub out,
score out, scratch out, delete, expunge, obliterate) shows the impact
the policy might have on a person. In Slovenia, seven izbrisani
committed suicide. Ultranationalist politicians characterized the
izbrisani as war criminals, swindlers and undesirables.
The radical 'mass erasure' of February 26, 1992 took place eight
months after Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia on June
25, 1991. The erasure occurred just days after Slovenian Athletes
participated for the first time in Olympic competition at the XVI
Winter Olympic in Albertville, France. Acceptance into the United
Nations was still three months away (May 22, 1992). Notably, Slovenia
was not at war at the time the 'mass erasure'. The previous summer war
with Yugoslavia had lasted only a few weeks ending a with European
Union sponsored agreement calling for withdrawal of Yugoslav Federal
troops from Slovenia and the demobilization of Slovenian troops.
Furthermore the 'mass erasure' came after the completion of a new
Constitution is which Slovenia committed itself to protect human
rights and fundamental freedoms (Article 5, and Articles 61 to 63).
For the past 12 years the status of the 18,000 izbrisani who
remained in Slovenia in limbo status, has been unresolved. This year,
after much delay and pressure from Human Rights groups, the European
Union, and judges within Slovenia, the government may soon act to
reverse the policy and compensate the victims of erasure.
Presently Slovenia is scheduled to join the European Union on May
1, 2004 and will also soon join NATO. The European Union and Council
of Europe are providing important guidance toward a positive
resolution of this issue. If this should occur the case of Slovenian
izbrisani may become an important precedent for other countries which
have pursued policies of mass denationalization. Other countries which
have pursued such policies include Cambodia (ethnic Vietnamese 1993),
Myanmar (Rohingya Arakanese 1992) and Syria (Kurds 1962). Another set
of countries conducted mass denationalization followed by mass
expulsion, including Ethiopia (Persons with Eritrean affiliation
1998), Bhutan (Lhotshampas - ethnic Nepalis 1991), Vietnam (Hoa -
ethnic Chinese 'boat people', 1978-1979), France (ethnic Germans in
Alsace-Lorraine 1918-1920). Seen together, these cases along with that
of Slovenia, demonstrate that policies of this type can create
large-scale international refugee problems.
Mass Erasure (or mass denationalization) can not be viewed solely
as a matter of domestic policy, but must be viewed as a matter of
international concern. Civil Society organizations within a country
and outside it, along with regional intergovernmental organizations
(such as the European Union) must hold countries which engage in
policies accountable for their actions. This case of a massive human
rights violation is quite different from other cases of atrocities,
massacres, crimes against humanity and genocide. Still if global civil
society is to truly prevent genocide instead of only halting it or
afterward assisting the victims, we must also look at cases such as
this one. Some governments will not stop with mere 'civil death', but
will seize opportunities to take still more radical measures such as
internment, expulsion or physical elimination of targeted population
groups.
[For a related global survey of this issue, see Jim Fussell's
report Group Classification on National Identification Cards as a
Facilitating Factor in Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing, presented at
Yale University in Nov. 2002]
An organization Drustva izbrisanih (Stran Drustva izbrisanih
drzavljanov Republike Slovenije - Society of Erased Residents of
Slovenia www.geocities.com/drustvo_izbrisanih/izbrisani.html) has been
established for izbrisani to advocate for restoration of their
citizenship.
See also the online forum: http://izbrisani.siol.net/ and
www.dostje.org/Izbrisani/izbrisani.htm
See also the Mirovni inštitut/Peace Institute's report "THE
ERASURE: 'Eleven Years After' " by Jasminka Dediæ February 27, 2003
www.mirovni-institut.si/eng_html/publications/Erasure.doc
Articles and Reports on the Izbrisani Issue, 2000 to 2004
Helsinki Monitor Slovenia, statement N° 9, Restitution of Permanent
Residence Permit to the Erased Citizens, 11 December 2000
www.insightnewstv.com [date not known] Slovenia: The Erased People
Duration: 8'58" Director: Ron McCullagh Producer: Mariana van Zeller
Imagine waking up one morning and discovering that you no longer
exist. That's happened to 130,000 people in Slovenia. People who had
been born or had lived most of their lives in this newly independent
state have discovered that their government has 'erased' them from all
public records. They have lost their jobs. Their children have been
turned away at the school gates. Pensions have vanished. Suddenly they
have no health insurance. Many have been evicted from their homes.
When Slovenia seceded from Yugoslavia and became independent in 1991,
one of the first acts of the new government was to remove non-ethnic
Slovenes from the public registries. Their votes had counted in the
referendum for Slovenian independence, but now they're not welcome in
the new republic. In Slovenia they are known as the 'erased people'
and their lives have become Kafkaesque. The Helsinki Monitor of
Slovenia has documented 6,500 cases of what they call "civic death,"
or "administrative genocide." Ten years ago construction worker Franjo
Herman became one of those people. Born in Croatia, he moved to
Slovenia in 1955. Like all former Yugoslavs he had had the right to
live anywhere in what was then a united Yugoslavia. Deregistered, he
lost all his social security benefits. In August 2000 he was diagnosed
with cancer. Franjo paid his National Insurance until the day he was
'erased'. They refused to treat him at the hospital. They said he
wasn't insured. Mr Herman died a year ago, untreated and unrecognised
by the state he had lived in for nearly fifty years. Officials of the
European Union were horrified at the actions of the nation whose
independence they had brought about. They pressurised Slovenia's
authorities to adopt legislation to deal with the injustices. That law
took effect in August 1999. It gave 'the erased' three months to apply
for citizenship. Only 14,000 people took up the offer, although 70,000
of these people, according to UNHCR, were still living in Slovenia.
Critics, including a senior judge, now say the legislation was
impractical - many people simply didn't know the law existed, others
couldn't get required documents in the time allowed. Those who
overcame the obstacles found more hurdles to jump - they needed to
prove they had lived in Slovenia before independence. How do you do
that when there are no records of your existence? And it's still
happening. Two years ago Milenko Zoric tried to extend his driving
license. The Ministry of the Interior said he couldn't. He was no
longer 'in the computer.' Apparently he was a Slovenian no more.
Officials told him that because he'd been out of the country for more
than three months he was now an illegal alien. Desperate, many have
fled. Those who have stayed behind live in fear of arrest, abuse and
deportation. The latest EU report on enlargement says: 'Slovenia
continues to respect human rights and freedoms.'
Ljubljana Life 29 June 2002 (Weekly Bulletin in English )
www.geocities.com/ljubljanalife/ by Brian J. Pozun
Helsinki Monitor (HM) filed suit against former Interior Minister
Igor Bavc(ar, present Interior Minister Rade Bo hinec and head of the
national police force Marko Pogorevec this week at the Ljubljana
district court. In 1992, thousands of people were erased from the
register of permanent residency and left with no legal status in the
country; nearly 6000 of them have sought the assistance of HM. The
suit accuses the three of abuse of position and official rights as
well as irresponsible execution of their duties. On Monday, head of
the Slovene branch of HM Neva Miklavc(ic( Predan called the erasure an
"administrative genocide."
Ljubljana Life 22 February 2003 (Weekly Bulletin in English )
www.geocities.com/ljubljanalife/ by Brian J. Pozun
Week of the Erased in Ljubljana Upon independence from Yugoslavia,
the Slovene government undertook what some have called a "soft
genocide" by revoking the residency status of nearly 30,000 people who
were living in Slovenia at the time but who did not have, or otherwise
qualify for, citizenship in the newly independent Slovenia. Wednesday,
26 February, marks the eleventh anniversary of the so-called izbris
(erasure). The Society of the Erased, which is working for a
resolution of the issue, organized a week of events to mark the
anniversary, beginning with a screening of a documentary produced by
the BBC about the situation. Other events included one round table
called "Erasure, Legal Error or Ideology?" and another "The People
Without." The Society also held a lecture for foreign ambassadors. The
highlight was Wednesday's protest march, which passed by both the
parliament building and the office of the president. The week ended on
Friday with a reception at Gromka club at Metelkova. In November,
Internal Minister Rado Bohinc and State Secretary Bojan Bugar ic(
confirmed that the erasure was illegal, although the Constitutional
Court came to the same conclusion in 1999. In October 2002, Bohinc
promised to resolve the issue within one month's time, however,
nothing has been done yet. According to unofficial estimates, there
are between 3000 and 4000 people in Slovenia who were erased from the
registries and have not yet been able to regulate their status.
Ljubljana Life 4 July 2003 (Weekly Bulletin in English )
www.geocities.com/ljubljanalife/ by Brian J. Pozun
Constitutional Court restores the "Izbrisani" On 3 April, the
Constitutional Court finally resolved the case of the so-called
izbrisani ("erased"). The izbrisani are citizens of other republics of
the former Yugoslavia who were living in Slovenia at the time of
independence but who did not have, or otherwise qualify for,
citizenship in the newly independent country. The government revoked
their permanent resident status and erased them wholesale from the
registries. The act has been called a "soft genocide" by activists.
The Court has ruled that the Law on the Regulation of the Status of
Citizens of Other Successor States to the Former Yugoslavia from 1992
is unconstitutional, and that all of the izbrisani must have their
residency rights returned. The government has six months in which to
bring the law into alignment with the constitution, based on the
Court's decision. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there
were 18,305 citizens of other Yugoslav republics living in Slovenia in
1992 who had permanent resident status, though unofficial accounts put
the figure as high as 30,000. Of the Ministry's figure, 12,937 have
applied for citizenship under procedures introduced later. Some 10,713
have since gotten citizenship. But according to unofficial estimates,
3000 to 4000 people are still without formal legal status in the country.
Radio Free Europe/ Rado Liberty 3 Nov 2003 From: Ivo Skoric Balkan
Report Vol. 7, No. 36, 31 October 2003
RESTORING 'THE ERASED' IN SLOVENIA. Slovenian political vocabulary
is full of peculiar expressions that in their simplicity belie the
historical import packed into them. For example, the "pregnanci"
(expellees) are the 63,000 Slovenes forcibly deported by the Axis
powers during World War II (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 13 June 2003),
and the "optanti" (choosers) are the 130,000 ethnic Italians who fled
to Italy when Zone B of the Free Territory of Trieste was incorporated
into Yugoslavia in 1954 (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 31 May 2002). A
new term was added to this lexicon in 1992: the "izbrisani" (erased
ones). On 26 February of that year, the Slovenian authorities deleted
from the official records all non-Slovenian residents who had not
applied for citizenship in the new state. Nearly 30,000 people were
affected by the decision. The reasons for not applying for citizenship
were various. Many of those who failed to do so belonged to the social
underclass and were ignorant of the requirement. Some had criminal
records and were reluctant to make contact with the authorities. Still
others opposed Slovenian independence from Yugoslavia on principle,
and made a political decision not to comply. Altogether, over
one-third of the "erased" left Slovenia permanently and renounced
their residency, but 18,000 remained without official status. Under
pressure from the EU, in 1999 Slovenia adopted the Act on Regularizing
the Status of Citizens of Other State Successors of the Former SFRY in
the Republic of Slovenia, giving the "erased" a second chance to
regulate their status. The law required that applicants prove
permanent residency in Slovenia prior to independence as well as
current residency in Slovenia. Some 12,000 people took advantage of
the new law -- 7,000 received citizenship, and 4,800 obtained
permanent or temporary residency. However, critics faulted the
three-month deadline, arguing that it was often insufficient to allow
time to gather the necessary paperwork from Slovenia's cumbersome
public administration system. An 18 April "Delo" interview with the
president of the Society of Erased Residents of Slovenia, Aleksandar
Todorovic, revealed the mixed feelings of some erased persons toward
their host country. "I didn't apply for citizenship because that would
be agreeing to discrimination against myself," he declared. "I'm a
foreigner with permanent residency, and that's what I wish to remain."
A new law being debated in the National Assembly this week will grant
permanent residency status to nearly all the remaining 4,200
unregulated cases from the 1992 erasure, excepting those convicted of
crimes against the state or against humanity. Most significantly, this
"third chance" will be a blanket decision instead of applying on a
case-by-case basis, and will take effect retroactively. The erasures
have been an embarrassment to Slovenia's otherwise fairly good record
on human rights, with unpleasant social consequences for those who
refused to comply. Driver's licenses and identity cards were
confiscated when presented for renewal, state health insurance was
cancelled and free health care denied, and pensions were lost. While
this fell far short of the atrocities committed elsewhere in
Yugoslavia, critics of Slovenia have used hyperbole to characterize
the erasures as "civic death," "administrative genocide," or "soft
genocide." Jasminka Dedic, a researcher at Ljubljana's Peace
Institute, recently noted that because the erasures affected almost
exclusively non-Slovenes, and particularly nonindigenous Roma and
former Yugoslav Army (JNA) officers, the action was ethnically and
socially discriminatory. Dedic also observes that Slovenia differs
from other postcommunist successor states, where non-naturalized
long-term residents (e.g., Russians in Estonia or "Slovak Roma" in the
Czech Republic) have not been stripped of their previous status, even
if citizenship is difficult to attain (paper available at:
www.mirovni-institut.si/eng_html/ publications/Erasure.doc). On the
other hand, many Slovenes are incensed by the concessions being made.
The non-parliamentary Party of the Slovenian Nation (SSN) has
characterized the erased as traitors who left Slovenia in 1991 in the
hope that it would be reconquered by the JNA, only to return later to
take advantage of its relative prosperity. Repeated attempts to launch
a popular referendum on the issue have also been struck down.
Opposition parties warn that the erased could take advantage of the
new law to demand up to 600 billion tolars ($3 billion) in damages,
"Delo" reported on 29 October. Majda Zupan of the New Slovenia party
(NSi) warned that such a claim would amount to 300,000 tolars ($1,500)
per Slovenian citizen -- well over the average monthly wage, the news
site 24ur.com reported on 28 October. The right-wing Slovenian
National Party (SNS) has condemned the proposed law, saying that it
rewards those who gambled against Slovenia's future. The United List
of Social Democrats (ZLSD), along with the other coalition parties,
favors resolving the issue once and for all for the sake of "human
rights and a state based on the rule of law," according to a 10
October statement from Milan Potrc, the head of the ZLSD parliament
group. Notwithstanding the opposition, the law is expected to pass,
finally turning the question of the "izbrisani" from an ongoing civic
debate into another footnote in Slovenian history. (Donald F. Reindl,
dreindl at indiana.edu)
Radio Prague 9 Jan 2004 www.radio.cz/en Slovenia's forgotten
minorities [09-01-2004] By Ksenija Samardzija-Matul Slovenia's
president has launched a blistering attack on what he calls "elements
of intolerance" in his country. He was speaking after parliament
approved a referendum, which seeks to overturn a Constitutional Court
decision to restore permanent residency status and other rights to
minority groups living in Slovenia. It concerns around 20,000 people,
mostly Croats, Bosnians and Serbs who were living in Slovenia before
it won independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. They were
originally stripped of their permanent residency because they did not
apply for Slovene citizenship by 1992. In April 2003 the
Constitutional Court ordered that the status of citizens of the former
Yugoslavia who were erased from the population registry in February
1992, must be reinstated from that date onward. Although the decision
refers to the fulfilment of basic human rights the issue caused a rift
on the political scene. Miran Potrc, head of the United List of Social
democrats wants a quick implementation of the Constitutional Court's
decision: "Our party wants Slovenia to respect the rule of law, we
want a Slovenia that follows human rights and the clear and concrete
decisions of the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court has
stated repeatedly - the last time in April --which the erased have
been deprived of their rights. We want the decision of the
Constitutional Court to be implemented. I believe that a referendum in
this case would be extremely useless and harmful. No legal proceedings
will be solved, and everything will result in misunderstandings and a
lot of interpersonal disputes and political discord. This, of course
is not useful. If we want to continue respecting the rule of law in a
country where people living together have understanding and care for
each other, we have to solve this problem sooner or later. Delaying
the problem and trying to find a solution by carrying out a referendum
is not useful." Slovenia's opposition parties however claim that the
people in question were not erased in the first place and Zmago
Jelincic head of the Slovene Nationalist party viewpoint on this topic
differs completely from the intensions of the Slovene government.
"They were not erased from any register, but were simply not filed in
the citizens register because they did not want to. The Slovene
National Party is concerned about the estimated financial consequences
of this decision as we are certain that restitution claims of the
erased could be as high as 1 billion euros or possibly even up to 4
billions. We are convinced that all expenses will be transferred to
the taxpayer's shoulders. With this ruling the constitutional court
has annulled the act of independence and activities connected to it
and also disgraced all independence fighters and equalled them to
those who were acting against Slovenia's independence." And it looks
like there will be a referendum on the erased. But the question is, is
it really useful to let voters decide on issues such as the erased or
other minorities. And is there a point in carrying out the referendum,
if the outcome has no effect on the Constitutional Court's decision.
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency
www.sta.si/en/ Interior Ministry Starts Issuing Decrees on the Erased
Ljubljana, 03 February (STA) - The Interior Ministry on Tuesday
started issuing the decrees on the permanent residency of the erased
that reinstate their permanent residency status for the period they
were without it. The decrees are based directly on the 2003 ruling of
the Constitutional Court, the ministry said in a press release.
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency
www.sta.si/en/ Another Referendum Petition Filed as "Erased" Story
Continues Ljubljana, 03 February (STA) - Slovenia looks set to head to
another referendum, but not on the technicalities act on the erased,
as might be expected. Much to the dismay of the opposition, parliament
rejected amendments to the decree on the referendum on the
technicalities act on the erased at Monday's extraordinary session.
Opposition lawmakers struck back, submitting late in the night 1,000
voters' signatures in support of a legislative referendum on a second
piece of legislation on the erased, the systemic bill.
Associated Press 5 Feb 2004 A 'genocide' through paperwork By
WILLIAM J. KOLE
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- On a bright morning in 1992, Zoran
Vojinovic awoke to the realization that he no longer existed. Not on
paper -- when his identity card expired, officials refused to renew
it. Not at the hospital -- when he got sick and sought treatment, he
was told he had lost his health benefits. Not in government computers
-- when he asked an agency for help in finding a job, he was turned
away as an illegal alien. Vojinovic, 29, is among 18,000 people in
Slovenia known ominously as "the erased ones" -- non-Slovene residents
whose names were deleted from the population registry a year after the
country declared independence from Yugoslavia. Under pressure from the
European Union, which Slovenia joins in May, voters will decide in a
referendum, likely next month, whether to restore permanent residency
and rights to those who suffered what critics call "administrative
genocide." "In Bosnia, fascists walked around doing horrible things
with weapons. Slovenia did the same thing with paperwork," said
Aleksandar Todorovic, an archaeologist born in Serbia who heads the
Association of Erased Persons. For the erased, it's a question of
recovering dignity and the right to drive a car, get health care, own
property and collect pensions. Permanent residency also would carry
the option of citizenship. The dispute also underscores the murky Cold
War-era pasts confronting the EU as it expands to take in a part of
the continent stained by nationalism and strife. Most of the erased
were Bosnians and Serbs stripped of their rights in February 1992
after declining offers of citizenship. Many say they were hesitant
because of unrest in Bosnia and Croatia, and thought Slobodan
Milosevic might retake Slovenia. Nearly all 18,000 lost their jobs,
and at least seven people committed suicide in despair. Some were
arrested for simple offenses such as jaywalking and were deported for
lack of documents. Zoran Vojinovic , 29, was erased even though he was
born in Slovenia to Serbian parents and has never left. Deputy
Interior Minister Bojan Bugaric, acknowledging that the erasure was a
"mistake," said his office approved retroactive residency for 40
people this week and would issue permits to others. Parliament is
expected to enact a law soon laying out guidelines for seeking
damages. But the government is under fire by boisterous right-wing
opposition parties who could use the dispute to make gains in October
parliamentary elections. Vojinovic now has a job supervising a
cleaning crew at a shopping mall. "I was cheated, and Slovenia should
be ashamed," he said.
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency
www.sta.si/en/ Erased Referendum Question Largely Unconstitutional
Ljubljana, 26 February (STA) - The Constitutional Court has found that
most parts of a question proposed to be put at a referendum on the
systemic bill on the erased violates the Constitution. The court said
that as many as five of seven points enumerated in the question are
unconstitutional.
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency
www.sta.si/en/ Protest in Support of Erased Staged in Ljubljana
Ljubljana, 26 February (STA) - Some hundred people gathered for a
protest in the centre of Ljubljana on Thursday to bring the problem of
the erased to the public's attention. Moving from Zvezda Park to the
near-by parliament building, the protesters, a few dozen of them
dressed in white overalls sprayed red, unveiled a banner saying
"Freedom Is Diversity".
BBC 26 Feb 2004 Referendum question on "erased" violates
constitution, Slovene court rules February 26, 2004 Excerpt from
report by Slovene television on 26 February [First Announcer] The
Constitutional Court has ruled that the question in the motion to call
a referendum on a systemic bill on the erased [citizens from former
Yugoslav republics who had been unlawfully erased from the Slovene
population register in 1992] filed by Coalition Slovenia [a coalition
of opposition parties Slovene Democrats and New Slovenia] is
unconstitutional in all its most important points. [Second announcer]
The National Assembly sent the questions together with the motion to
the Constitutional Court for examination. The court's verdict means
that at the referendum on 4 April we will not be deciding on both
bills on the erased, but only on the technicalities bill. [Reporter S.
Rakusa] [Passage omitted] The chairman of the [Social] Democrats
[Janez Jansa] who, in case it was unsuccessful, had announced a new
referendum motion, was today reserved. [Jansa] After studying this
ruling, the Slovene Democratic Party will decide what to do in the
future, more precisely, what to do to prevent the enforcement of the
law in line with which decrees [on reinstatement of residence rights]
would be issued retrospectively without any kind of selection, which
would enable the filing of high compensation claims. [Passage omitted]
[Reporter] The LDS [Liberal Democracy of Slovenia party] and the
United List [of Social Democrats] expected this kind of verdict. [LDS
executive director Bogdan Biscak] We hope that with this the
referendum mania in Slovenia will be over. But at the same time we
fear that Coalition Slovenia will continue blocking the adoption of
legislation in this area and the settlement of this issue. [Passage
omitted] (Source: BBC Monitoring / Television Slovenia, Ljubljana) .
BBC 26 Feb 2004 Slovenia: Erased citizens write to CoE about their
plight February 26, 2004 Text of report in English by Slovene news
agency STA Ljubljana, 26 February: Marking twelve years since they had
been deleted from the population register, the erased citizens [from
former Yugoslav republics] on Thursday [26 February] wrote a letter to
the Council of Europe (CoE), saying they decided for the move because
they feel the only institutions they can trust in Slovenia are the
Constitutional Court and the ombudsman. The letter was addressed to
Alvaro Gil-Robles, the CoE human rights commissioner, and the CoE
Commission Against Racism and Intolerance. It informs the CoE about
the latest developments in the attempts to solve the problem of the
erased, the efforts made by the erased and the responses of the
politicians to the problem. The Association of the Erased has so far
addressed three calls to the state and the public, which have all been
ignored. Because the solving of the issue is taking so long, many of
the erased might not live to see the day when the story gets to an
end, the association wrote. "The shame of Slovenia, which is also our
home, will rise to unthought-of proportions," the association
believes. The letter was addressed to the CoE as the association held
its third assembly in Ljubljana on Thursday, exactly 12 years since
the erasure. Presenting the efforts of the erased, Aleksandar
Todorovic, the president of the association, said that the media are
the chief means with which the erased are fighting for their rights.
While the seven founding members of the association needed primarily
courage, the association now needs better organization, said
Todorovic. "We have managed to become the main political topic in
Slovenia, and the problem is also institutionalising," he said.
Todorovic also said that members should be solving their problems on
the principle of solidarity as this is the only way to solve all
problems. Matevz Krivic, a former constitutional judge who legally
represents the erased, said the association finds the current
situation worse than that a year ago. Last year there was still hope
that the problem could be solved within Slovene borders, while this
hope is gone today. "We have won in a legal way, but the more we win
legally, the more we lose politically," said Krivic. The assembly of
the erased is just one of the activities staged within the "Week of
the Erased", reminding the public of the illegal and unconstitutional
removal of 18,305 people coming from former Yugoslav republics from
the Slovene population registry, which happened twelve years ago, to
the day. Thursday also marks two years since the erased started
organized efforts in a bid to get their rights back. (Source: BBC
Monitoring / STA news agency, Ljubljana)
For Slovenian coverage of the Izbrisani Issue see
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency www.sta.si/en/
www.mladina.si/tednik/200239/clanek/izbrisani/
Prevent Genocide International
info@...
ultimi 13 anni in Slovenia ai danni di quegli abitanti che si sono
rifiutati di chiedere la cittadinanza del nuovo staterello monoetnico.
Staterello che oggi - avendo dimostrato di garantire i prerequisiti
richiesti, spec. fedelta' all'Occidente e riforma in senso
neoliberista dell'economia - e' entrato a far parte della Unione
Europea...
Vedi anche:
LA SLOVENIA TRA NATO ED UE (english / italiano / po slovenskom)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3459
"IZBRISANI", "ERASED", "CANCELLATI"
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3365
LA SLOVENIA E LE "FRATERNE UNIONI DI POPOLI"
http://auth.unimondo.org/cfdocs/obportal/
index.cfm?fuseaction=news.notizia&NewsID=3082 ]
http://preventgenocide.org/europe/slovenia/
News Monitor for Slovenia, 1998 to 2004
Focusing on coverage of the Izbrisani (Erased Citizens) issue,
concerning "administrative ethnic cleansing'
Slovenia ratified the Genocide Convention on July 6,1992.
Previously the Yugoslavia ratified the Convention on August 29, 1950.
Slovenia became a party to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the
Additional Geneva Protocols of 1977 on March 26, 1992.
Slovenia ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
on December 31, 2001.
The Izbrisani (Erased residents) Issue in Slovenia:
An introduction by Jim Fussell (Feb. 26, 2004), followed by news articles.
On February 26, 1992, the newly independent state of Slovenia deleted
the names of some 30,000 residents from the nation's civil registries.
The targeted population, which came to be known as izbrisani (erased
residents) were not of Slovenian ancestry, but were so-called 'new
minorities" including ethnic Serbs, ethnic Croats and ethnic Bosnian
Muslims, ethnic Albanian Kosovars and ethnic Roma which the government
sought to force out of the country. (In contrast 'old minorities'
include ethnic Italians and ethnic Hungarians, specifically mentioned
in the December 1991 Constitution.)
Twelve years later the Slovenian Government has still not yet
acted to fully redress this massive violation of human rights. Critics
of this radical action by the Slovenian government have sometimes
characterized the mass erasure as 'soft genocide' or 'administrative
genocide." A more appropriate term is probably 'administrative ethnic
cleansing' or 'civil death.' By whatever description, redress for the
mass 'erasure' is still badly needed. In other historical contexts
this kind of radical action which in and of itself is a massive
violation of human rights, has been a step toward more extreme actions
including mass expulsion and even genocide. In the case of Slovenia,
the izbrisani were targeted for elimination solely on account of the
non-Slovene groups into which they were born. Furthermore, this
'administrative ethnic cleansing' on February 26, 1992 in Slovenia can
be viewed as a contributing factor to the radicalization in former
Yugoslavia which only a few months later saw violent ethnic cleansing
in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The policy of "mass erasure", which could also be called mass
denationalization, must especially be condemned because it was a
partially successful policy, causing over one-third (12,000 out of
30,000) of the targeted population to leave Slovenia. When officials
asked an izbrisani for his old Yugoslav passport the top right corner
would be cut off, making the document useless and marking the bearer
for further discrimination. The izbrisani (erased residents) were not
forced out at gunpoint and their homes were not burned down as in
Bosnia, nevertheless they lost their jobs, medical benefits and
sometimes were deported for minor offenses. The multiple possible
translations of the term "izbrisati" (erase, red pencil, rub out,
score out, scratch out, delete, expunge, obliterate) shows the impact
the policy might have on a person. In Slovenia, seven izbrisani
committed suicide. Ultranationalist politicians characterized the
izbrisani as war criminals, swindlers and undesirables.
The radical 'mass erasure' of February 26, 1992 took place eight
months after Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia on June
25, 1991. The erasure occurred just days after Slovenian Athletes
participated for the first time in Olympic competition at the XVI
Winter Olympic in Albertville, France. Acceptance into the United
Nations was still three months away (May 22, 1992). Notably, Slovenia
was not at war at the time the 'mass erasure'. The previous summer war
with Yugoslavia had lasted only a few weeks ending a with European
Union sponsored agreement calling for withdrawal of Yugoslav Federal
troops from Slovenia and the demobilization of Slovenian troops.
Furthermore the 'mass erasure' came after the completion of a new
Constitution is which Slovenia committed itself to protect human
rights and fundamental freedoms (Article 5, and Articles 61 to 63).
For the past 12 years the status of the 18,000 izbrisani who
remained in Slovenia in limbo status, has been unresolved. This year,
after much delay and pressure from Human Rights groups, the European
Union, and judges within Slovenia, the government may soon act to
reverse the policy and compensate the victims of erasure.
Presently Slovenia is scheduled to join the European Union on May
1, 2004 and will also soon join NATO. The European Union and Council
of Europe are providing important guidance toward a positive
resolution of this issue. If this should occur the case of Slovenian
izbrisani may become an important precedent for other countries which
have pursued policies of mass denationalization. Other countries which
have pursued such policies include Cambodia (ethnic Vietnamese 1993),
Myanmar (Rohingya Arakanese 1992) and Syria (Kurds 1962). Another set
of countries conducted mass denationalization followed by mass
expulsion, including Ethiopia (Persons with Eritrean affiliation
1998), Bhutan (Lhotshampas - ethnic Nepalis 1991), Vietnam (Hoa -
ethnic Chinese 'boat people', 1978-1979), France (ethnic Germans in
Alsace-Lorraine 1918-1920). Seen together, these cases along with that
of Slovenia, demonstrate that policies of this type can create
large-scale international refugee problems.
Mass Erasure (or mass denationalization) can not be viewed solely
as a matter of domestic policy, but must be viewed as a matter of
international concern. Civil Society organizations within a country
and outside it, along with regional intergovernmental organizations
(such as the European Union) must hold countries which engage in
policies accountable for their actions. This case of a massive human
rights violation is quite different from other cases of atrocities,
massacres, crimes against humanity and genocide. Still if global civil
society is to truly prevent genocide instead of only halting it or
afterward assisting the victims, we must also look at cases such as
this one. Some governments will not stop with mere 'civil death', but
will seize opportunities to take still more radical measures such as
internment, expulsion or physical elimination of targeted population
groups.
[For a related global survey of this issue, see Jim Fussell's
report Group Classification on National Identification Cards as a
Facilitating Factor in Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing, presented at
Yale University in Nov. 2002]
An organization Drustva izbrisanih (Stran Drustva izbrisanih
drzavljanov Republike Slovenije - Society of Erased Residents of
Slovenia www.geocities.com/drustvo_izbrisanih/izbrisani.html) has been
established for izbrisani to advocate for restoration of their
citizenship.
See also the online forum: http://izbrisani.siol.net/ and
www.dostje.org/Izbrisani/izbrisani.htm
See also the Mirovni inštitut/Peace Institute's report "THE
ERASURE: 'Eleven Years After' " by Jasminka Dediæ February 27, 2003
www.mirovni-institut.si/eng_html/publications/Erasure.doc
Articles and Reports on the Izbrisani Issue, 2000 to 2004
Helsinki Monitor Slovenia, statement N° 9, Restitution of Permanent
Residence Permit to the Erased Citizens, 11 December 2000
www.insightnewstv.com [date not known] Slovenia: The Erased People
Duration: 8'58" Director: Ron McCullagh Producer: Mariana van Zeller
Imagine waking up one morning and discovering that you no longer
exist. That's happened to 130,000 people in Slovenia. People who had
been born or had lived most of their lives in this newly independent
state have discovered that their government has 'erased' them from all
public records. They have lost their jobs. Their children have been
turned away at the school gates. Pensions have vanished. Suddenly they
have no health insurance. Many have been evicted from their homes.
When Slovenia seceded from Yugoslavia and became independent in 1991,
one of the first acts of the new government was to remove non-ethnic
Slovenes from the public registries. Their votes had counted in the
referendum for Slovenian independence, but now they're not welcome in
the new republic. In Slovenia they are known as the 'erased people'
and their lives have become Kafkaesque. The Helsinki Monitor of
Slovenia has documented 6,500 cases of what they call "civic death,"
or "administrative genocide." Ten years ago construction worker Franjo
Herman became one of those people. Born in Croatia, he moved to
Slovenia in 1955. Like all former Yugoslavs he had had the right to
live anywhere in what was then a united Yugoslavia. Deregistered, he
lost all his social security benefits. In August 2000 he was diagnosed
with cancer. Franjo paid his National Insurance until the day he was
'erased'. They refused to treat him at the hospital. They said he
wasn't insured. Mr Herman died a year ago, untreated and unrecognised
by the state he had lived in for nearly fifty years. Officials of the
European Union were horrified at the actions of the nation whose
independence they had brought about. They pressurised Slovenia's
authorities to adopt legislation to deal with the injustices. That law
took effect in August 1999. It gave 'the erased' three months to apply
for citizenship. Only 14,000 people took up the offer, although 70,000
of these people, according to UNHCR, were still living in Slovenia.
Critics, including a senior judge, now say the legislation was
impractical - many people simply didn't know the law existed, others
couldn't get required documents in the time allowed. Those who
overcame the obstacles found more hurdles to jump - they needed to
prove they had lived in Slovenia before independence. How do you do
that when there are no records of your existence? And it's still
happening. Two years ago Milenko Zoric tried to extend his driving
license. The Ministry of the Interior said he couldn't. He was no
longer 'in the computer.' Apparently he was a Slovenian no more.
Officials told him that because he'd been out of the country for more
than three months he was now an illegal alien. Desperate, many have
fled. Those who have stayed behind live in fear of arrest, abuse and
deportation. The latest EU report on enlargement says: 'Slovenia
continues to respect human rights and freedoms.'
Ljubljana Life 29 June 2002 (Weekly Bulletin in English )
www.geocities.com/ljubljanalife/ by Brian J. Pozun
Helsinki Monitor (HM) filed suit against former Interior Minister
Igor Bavc(ar, present Interior Minister Rade Bo hinec and head of the
national police force Marko Pogorevec this week at the Ljubljana
district court. In 1992, thousands of people were erased from the
register of permanent residency and left with no legal status in the
country; nearly 6000 of them have sought the assistance of HM. The
suit accuses the three of abuse of position and official rights as
well as irresponsible execution of their duties. On Monday, head of
the Slovene branch of HM Neva Miklavc(ic( Predan called the erasure an
"administrative genocide."
Ljubljana Life 22 February 2003 (Weekly Bulletin in English )
www.geocities.com/ljubljanalife/ by Brian J. Pozun
Week of the Erased in Ljubljana Upon independence from Yugoslavia,
the Slovene government undertook what some have called a "soft
genocide" by revoking the residency status of nearly 30,000 people who
were living in Slovenia at the time but who did not have, or otherwise
qualify for, citizenship in the newly independent Slovenia. Wednesday,
26 February, marks the eleventh anniversary of the so-called izbris
(erasure). The Society of the Erased, which is working for a
resolution of the issue, organized a week of events to mark the
anniversary, beginning with a screening of a documentary produced by
the BBC about the situation. Other events included one round table
called "Erasure, Legal Error or Ideology?" and another "The People
Without." The Society also held a lecture for foreign ambassadors. The
highlight was Wednesday's protest march, which passed by both the
parliament building and the office of the president. The week ended on
Friday with a reception at Gromka club at Metelkova. In November,
Internal Minister Rado Bohinc and State Secretary Bojan Bugar ic(
confirmed that the erasure was illegal, although the Constitutional
Court came to the same conclusion in 1999. In October 2002, Bohinc
promised to resolve the issue within one month's time, however,
nothing has been done yet. According to unofficial estimates, there
are between 3000 and 4000 people in Slovenia who were erased from the
registries and have not yet been able to regulate their status.
Ljubljana Life 4 July 2003 (Weekly Bulletin in English )
www.geocities.com/ljubljanalife/ by Brian J. Pozun
Constitutional Court restores the "Izbrisani" On 3 April, the
Constitutional Court finally resolved the case of the so-called
izbrisani ("erased"). The izbrisani are citizens of other republics of
the former Yugoslavia who were living in Slovenia at the time of
independence but who did not have, or otherwise qualify for,
citizenship in the newly independent country. The government revoked
their permanent resident status and erased them wholesale from the
registries. The act has been called a "soft genocide" by activists.
The Court has ruled that the Law on the Regulation of the Status of
Citizens of Other Successor States to the Former Yugoslavia from 1992
is unconstitutional, and that all of the izbrisani must have their
residency rights returned. The government has six months in which to
bring the law into alignment with the constitution, based on the
Court's decision. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there
were 18,305 citizens of other Yugoslav republics living in Slovenia in
1992 who had permanent resident status, though unofficial accounts put
the figure as high as 30,000. Of the Ministry's figure, 12,937 have
applied for citizenship under procedures introduced later. Some 10,713
have since gotten citizenship. But according to unofficial estimates,
3000 to 4000 people are still without formal legal status in the country.
Radio Free Europe/ Rado Liberty 3 Nov 2003 From: Ivo Skoric Balkan
Report Vol. 7, No. 36, 31 October 2003
RESTORING 'THE ERASED' IN SLOVENIA. Slovenian political vocabulary
is full of peculiar expressions that in their simplicity belie the
historical import packed into them. For example, the "pregnanci"
(expellees) are the 63,000 Slovenes forcibly deported by the Axis
powers during World War II (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 13 June 2003),
and the "optanti" (choosers) are the 130,000 ethnic Italians who fled
to Italy when Zone B of the Free Territory of Trieste was incorporated
into Yugoslavia in 1954 (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 31 May 2002). A
new term was added to this lexicon in 1992: the "izbrisani" (erased
ones). On 26 February of that year, the Slovenian authorities deleted
from the official records all non-Slovenian residents who had not
applied for citizenship in the new state. Nearly 30,000 people were
affected by the decision. The reasons for not applying for citizenship
were various. Many of those who failed to do so belonged to the social
underclass and were ignorant of the requirement. Some had criminal
records and were reluctant to make contact with the authorities. Still
others opposed Slovenian independence from Yugoslavia on principle,
and made a political decision not to comply. Altogether, over
one-third of the "erased" left Slovenia permanently and renounced
their residency, but 18,000 remained without official status. Under
pressure from the EU, in 1999 Slovenia adopted the Act on Regularizing
the Status of Citizens of Other State Successors of the Former SFRY in
the Republic of Slovenia, giving the "erased" a second chance to
regulate their status. The law required that applicants prove
permanent residency in Slovenia prior to independence as well as
current residency in Slovenia. Some 12,000 people took advantage of
the new law -- 7,000 received citizenship, and 4,800 obtained
permanent or temporary residency. However, critics faulted the
three-month deadline, arguing that it was often insufficient to allow
time to gather the necessary paperwork from Slovenia's cumbersome
public administration system. An 18 April "Delo" interview with the
president of the Society of Erased Residents of Slovenia, Aleksandar
Todorovic, revealed the mixed feelings of some erased persons toward
their host country. "I didn't apply for citizenship because that would
be agreeing to discrimination against myself," he declared. "I'm a
foreigner with permanent residency, and that's what I wish to remain."
A new law being debated in the National Assembly this week will grant
permanent residency status to nearly all the remaining 4,200
unregulated cases from the 1992 erasure, excepting those convicted of
crimes against the state or against humanity. Most significantly, this
"third chance" will be a blanket decision instead of applying on a
case-by-case basis, and will take effect retroactively. The erasures
have been an embarrassment to Slovenia's otherwise fairly good record
on human rights, with unpleasant social consequences for those who
refused to comply. Driver's licenses and identity cards were
confiscated when presented for renewal, state health insurance was
cancelled and free health care denied, and pensions were lost. While
this fell far short of the atrocities committed elsewhere in
Yugoslavia, critics of Slovenia have used hyperbole to characterize
the erasures as "civic death," "administrative genocide," or "soft
genocide." Jasminka Dedic, a researcher at Ljubljana's Peace
Institute, recently noted that because the erasures affected almost
exclusively non-Slovenes, and particularly nonindigenous Roma and
former Yugoslav Army (JNA) officers, the action was ethnically and
socially discriminatory. Dedic also observes that Slovenia differs
from other postcommunist successor states, where non-naturalized
long-term residents (e.g., Russians in Estonia or "Slovak Roma" in the
Czech Republic) have not been stripped of their previous status, even
if citizenship is difficult to attain (paper available at:
www.mirovni-institut.si/eng_html/ publications/Erasure.doc). On the
other hand, many Slovenes are incensed by the concessions being made.
The non-parliamentary Party of the Slovenian Nation (SSN) has
characterized the erased as traitors who left Slovenia in 1991 in the
hope that it would be reconquered by the JNA, only to return later to
take advantage of its relative prosperity. Repeated attempts to launch
a popular referendum on the issue have also been struck down.
Opposition parties warn that the erased could take advantage of the
new law to demand up to 600 billion tolars ($3 billion) in damages,
"Delo" reported on 29 October. Majda Zupan of the New Slovenia party
(NSi) warned that such a claim would amount to 300,000 tolars ($1,500)
per Slovenian citizen -- well over the average monthly wage, the news
site 24ur.com reported on 28 October. The right-wing Slovenian
National Party (SNS) has condemned the proposed law, saying that it
rewards those who gambled against Slovenia's future. The United List
of Social Democrats (ZLSD), along with the other coalition parties,
favors resolving the issue once and for all for the sake of "human
rights and a state based on the rule of law," according to a 10
October statement from Milan Potrc, the head of the ZLSD parliament
group. Notwithstanding the opposition, the law is expected to pass,
finally turning the question of the "izbrisani" from an ongoing civic
debate into another footnote in Slovenian history. (Donald F. Reindl,
dreindl at indiana.edu)
Radio Prague 9 Jan 2004 www.radio.cz/en Slovenia's forgotten
minorities [09-01-2004] By Ksenija Samardzija-Matul Slovenia's
president has launched a blistering attack on what he calls "elements
of intolerance" in his country. He was speaking after parliament
approved a referendum, which seeks to overturn a Constitutional Court
decision to restore permanent residency status and other rights to
minority groups living in Slovenia. It concerns around 20,000 people,
mostly Croats, Bosnians and Serbs who were living in Slovenia before
it won independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. They were
originally stripped of their permanent residency because they did not
apply for Slovene citizenship by 1992. In April 2003 the
Constitutional Court ordered that the status of citizens of the former
Yugoslavia who were erased from the population registry in February
1992, must be reinstated from that date onward. Although the decision
refers to the fulfilment of basic human rights the issue caused a rift
on the political scene. Miran Potrc, head of the United List of Social
democrats wants a quick implementation of the Constitutional Court's
decision: "Our party wants Slovenia to respect the rule of law, we
want a Slovenia that follows human rights and the clear and concrete
decisions of the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court has
stated repeatedly - the last time in April --which the erased have
been deprived of their rights. We want the decision of the
Constitutional Court to be implemented. I believe that a referendum in
this case would be extremely useless and harmful. No legal proceedings
will be solved, and everything will result in misunderstandings and a
lot of interpersonal disputes and political discord. This, of course
is not useful. If we want to continue respecting the rule of law in a
country where people living together have understanding and care for
each other, we have to solve this problem sooner or later. Delaying
the problem and trying to find a solution by carrying out a referendum
is not useful." Slovenia's opposition parties however claim that the
people in question were not erased in the first place and Zmago
Jelincic head of the Slovene Nationalist party viewpoint on this topic
differs completely from the intensions of the Slovene government.
"They were not erased from any register, but were simply not filed in
the citizens register because they did not want to. The Slovene
National Party is concerned about the estimated financial consequences
of this decision as we are certain that restitution claims of the
erased could be as high as 1 billion euros or possibly even up to 4
billions. We are convinced that all expenses will be transferred to
the taxpayer's shoulders. With this ruling the constitutional court
has annulled the act of independence and activities connected to it
and also disgraced all independence fighters and equalled them to
those who were acting against Slovenia's independence." And it looks
like there will be a referendum on the erased. But the question is, is
it really useful to let voters decide on issues such as the erased or
other minorities. And is there a point in carrying out the referendum,
if the outcome has no effect on the Constitutional Court's decision.
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency
www.sta.si/en/ Interior Ministry Starts Issuing Decrees on the Erased
Ljubljana, 03 February (STA) - The Interior Ministry on Tuesday
started issuing the decrees on the permanent residency of the erased
that reinstate their permanent residency status for the period they
were without it. The decrees are based directly on the 2003 ruling of
the Constitutional Court, the ministry said in a press release.
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency
www.sta.si/en/ Another Referendum Petition Filed as "Erased" Story
Continues Ljubljana, 03 February (STA) - Slovenia looks set to head to
another referendum, but not on the technicalities act on the erased,
as might be expected. Much to the dismay of the opposition, parliament
rejected amendments to the decree on the referendum on the
technicalities act on the erased at Monday's extraordinary session.
Opposition lawmakers struck back, submitting late in the night 1,000
voters' signatures in support of a legislative referendum on a second
piece of legislation on the erased, the systemic bill.
Associated Press 5 Feb 2004 A 'genocide' through paperwork By
WILLIAM J. KOLE
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- On a bright morning in 1992, Zoran
Vojinovic awoke to the realization that he no longer existed. Not on
paper -- when his identity card expired, officials refused to renew
it. Not at the hospital -- when he got sick and sought treatment, he
was told he had lost his health benefits. Not in government computers
-- when he asked an agency for help in finding a job, he was turned
away as an illegal alien. Vojinovic, 29, is among 18,000 people in
Slovenia known ominously as "the erased ones" -- non-Slovene residents
whose names were deleted from the population registry a year after the
country declared independence from Yugoslavia. Under pressure from the
European Union, which Slovenia joins in May, voters will decide in a
referendum, likely next month, whether to restore permanent residency
and rights to those who suffered what critics call "administrative
genocide." "In Bosnia, fascists walked around doing horrible things
with weapons. Slovenia did the same thing with paperwork," said
Aleksandar Todorovic, an archaeologist born in Serbia who heads the
Association of Erased Persons. For the erased, it's a question of
recovering dignity and the right to drive a car, get health care, own
property and collect pensions. Permanent residency also would carry
the option of citizenship. The dispute also underscores the murky Cold
War-era pasts confronting the EU as it expands to take in a part of
the continent stained by nationalism and strife. Most of the erased
were Bosnians and Serbs stripped of their rights in February 1992
after declining offers of citizenship. Many say they were hesitant
because of unrest in Bosnia and Croatia, and thought Slobodan
Milosevic might retake Slovenia. Nearly all 18,000 lost their jobs,
and at least seven people committed suicide in despair. Some were
arrested for simple offenses such as jaywalking and were deported for
lack of documents. Zoran Vojinovic , 29, was erased even though he was
born in Slovenia to Serbian parents and has never left. Deputy
Interior Minister Bojan Bugaric, acknowledging that the erasure was a
"mistake," said his office approved retroactive residency for 40
people this week and would issue permits to others. Parliament is
expected to enact a law soon laying out guidelines for seeking
damages. But the government is under fire by boisterous right-wing
opposition parties who could use the dispute to make gains in October
parliamentary elections. Vojinovic now has a job supervising a
cleaning crew at a shopping mall. "I was cheated, and Slovenia should
be ashamed," he said.
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency
www.sta.si/en/ Erased Referendum Question Largely Unconstitutional
Ljubljana, 26 February (STA) - The Constitutional Court has found that
most parts of a question proposed to be put at a referendum on the
systemic bill on the erased violates the Constitution. The court said
that as many as five of seven points enumerated in the question are
unconstitutional.
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency
www.sta.si/en/ Protest in Support of Erased Staged in Ljubljana
Ljubljana, 26 February (STA) - Some hundred people gathered for a
protest in the centre of Ljubljana on Thursday to bring the problem of
the erased to the public's attention. Moving from Zvezda Park to the
near-by parliament building, the protesters, a few dozen of them
dressed in white overalls sprayed red, unveiled a banner saying
"Freedom Is Diversity".
BBC 26 Feb 2004 Referendum question on "erased" violates
constitution, Slovene court rules February 26, 2004 Excerpt from
report by Slovene television on 26 February [First Announcer] The
Constitutional Court has ruled that the question in the motion to call
a referendum on a systemic bill on the erased [citizens from former
Yugoslav republics who had been unlawfully erased from the Slovene
population register in 1992] filed by Coalition Slovenia [a coalition
of opposition parties Slovene Democrats and New Slovenia] is
unconstitutional in all its most important points. [Second announcer]
The National Assembly sent the questions together with the motion to
the Constitutional Court for examination. The court's verdict means
that at the referendum on 4 April we will not be deciding on both
bills on the erased, but only on the technicalities bill. [Reporter S.
Rakusa] [Passage omitted] The chairman of the [Social] Democrats
[Janez Jansa] who, in case it was unsuccessful, had announced a new
referendum motion, was today reserved. [Jansa] After studying this
ruling, the Slovene Democratic Party will decide what to do in the
future, more precisely, what to do to prevent the enforcement of the
law in line with which decrees [on reinstatement of residence rights]
would be issued retrospectively without any kind of selection, which
would enable the filing of high compensation claims. [Passage omitted]
[Reporter] The LDS [Liberal Democracy of Slovenia party] and the
United List [of Social Democrats] expected this kind of verdict. [LDS
executive director Bogdan Biscak] We hope that with this the
referendum mania in Slovenia will be over. But at the same time we
fear that Coalition Slovenia will continue blocking the adoption of
legislation in this area and the settlement of this issue. [Passage
omitted] (Source: BBC Monitoring / Television Slovenia, Ljubljana) .
BBC 26 Feb 2004 Slovenia: Erased citizens write to CoE about their
plight February 26, 2004 Text of report in English by Slovene news
agency STA Ljubljana, 26 February: Marking twelve years since they had
been deleted from the population register, the erased citizens [from
former Yugoslav republics] on Thursday [26 February] wrote a letter to
the Council of Europe (CoE), saying they decided for the move because
they feel the only institutions they can trust in Slovenia are the
Constitutional Court and the ombudsman. The letter was addressed to
Alvaro Gil-Robles, the CoE human rights commissioner, and the CoE
Commission Against Racism and Intolerance. It informs the CoE about
the latest developments in the attempts to solve the problem of the
erased, the efforts made by the erased and the responses of the
politicians to the problem. The Association of the Erased has so far
addressed three calls to the state and the public, which have all been
ignored. Because the solving of the issue is taking so long, many of
the erased might not live to see the day when the story gets to an
end, the association wrote. "The shame of Slovenia, which is also our
home, will rise to unthought-of proportions," the association
believes. The letter was addressed to the CoE as the association held
its third assembly in Ljubljana on Thursday, exactly 12 years since
the erasure. Presenting the efforts of the erased, Aleksandar
Todorovic, the president of the association, said that the media are
the chief means with which the erased are fighting for their rights.
While the seven founding members of the association needed primarily
courage, the association now needs better organization, said
Todorovic. "We have managed to become the main political topic in
Slovenia, and the problem is also institutionalising," he said.
Todorovic also said that members should be solving their problems on
the principle of solidarity as this is the only way to solve all
problems. Matevz Krivic, a former constitutional judge who legally
represents the erased, said the association finds the current
situation worse than that a year ago. Last year there was still hope
that the problem could be solved within Slovene borders, while this
hope is gone today. "We have won in a legal way, but the more we win
legally, the more we lose politically," said Krivic. The assembly of
the erased is just one of the activities staged within the "Week of
the Erased", reminding the public of the illegal and unconstitutional
removal of 18,305 people coming from former Yugoslav republics from
the Slovene population registry, which happened twelve years ago, to
the day. Thursday also marks two years since the erased started
organized efforts in a bid to get their rights back. (Source: BBC
Monitoring / STA news agency, Ljubljana)
For Slovenian coverage of the Izbrisani Issue see
Slevenska Tiskovna Agencija (STA) Slovene Press Agency www.sta.si/en/
www.mladina.si/tednik/200239/clanek/izbrisani/
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