Early on Tuesday, November 18th, the Slovenian parliament passed legislation to increase police powers in so-called “high-risk areas,” allowing the improved use of photo, video and audio surveillance.
The move came after thousands marched in the southeastern city of Novo Mesto late last month to demand radical public safety measures, a few days after 48-year-old Aleš Šutar died in an attack by a member of the Roma community. Šutar was assaulted outside a bar in the early hours of October 25th in Novo Mesto, from where he aimed to collect his son from a nightclub.
The killing laid bare long-simmering tensions with the tiny Roma community in the Alpine nation and European Union member state. Now the parliament has passed the “Šutar Law,” named after the victim, just after midnight early on November 18th, following six hours of debate.
After the bill was passed, a statement from Prime Minister Robert Golob declared
This law represents an important step towards a safer life for all in Slovenia…. [security] is not a left or right issue.
While the PM stresses that accountability for criminal acts is paramount, the new law—expected to enter into force before the end of the year—gives police additional resources to crack down on crime in areas it considers to be “high risk.” In such 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.
Under-fire human rights organisation Amnesty International urged parliament not to pass what it calls the “draconian bill”. Amnesty claims that this legislation “significantly” expands police and judicial powers that—coupled with punitive restrictions on social benefits—could further penalise the most marginalised families:
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.
Amnesty’s statement neither mentions nor shows any empathy with the murder victim.
