Ljubljana – The Slovenian parliament early on Tuesday passed legislation to increase police powers in so-called “high-risk areas,” a law that an international human rights organisation said could be used to target Roma.
The killing laid bare long-simmering tensions toward the tiny Roma community in the Alpine European Union nation.
After more than six hours of debate, parliament passed the “Sutar bill,” named after the victim, just after midnight early on Tuesday.
Under the new law, expected to enter into force before the end of the year, police are given additional resources to crack down on crime in areas it considers to be “high risk”.
In those areas, police will be able to search homes for suspected firearms without judicial orders.
Repeat offenders could also see their social or unemployment benefits restricted.
“This law represents an important step towards a safer life for all in Slovenia,” Prime Minister Robert Golob said in a statement after the bill was passed just after midnight.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International last Friday urged parliament not to pass the “draconian bill”.
The legislation “significantly” expands police and judicial powers that — coupled with punitive restrictions on social benefits — could further penalise the most marginalised families, the group said.
“The vitriolic rhetoric used by the government to justify these measures raises serious fears that they would be deployed arbitrarily and discriminatorily against the Roma population,” it said.
Several professors of Ljubljana University’s law faculty warned in a statement that parts of the bill were unconstitutional and that it had been rushed through without proper debate.
According to the Roma Council, around 15,000 Roma people live in the Alpine nation of two million. Many of them live in about 100 settlements, with only a third of those having basic services such as water and electricity.
Sutar was attacked in front of a bar in the early morning hours of October 25 in Novo Mesto.
Media and local authorities attributed the attack to a group of Roma. The police reported that they had detained a 21-year-old man with a criminal record, but did not provide any other details.
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Source: AFP
