The Slovenian government has announced sweeping legal and policing reforms after a fatal assault triggered mass protests
The Slovenian government has announced a package of sweeping security and social-welfare reforms after the death of a man who was fatally beaten by a member of the Roma community in the city of Novo Mesto.
Ales Sutar, 48, was assaulted last week when he came to a bar in the city center to pick up his son who said he was being threatened by a group of Roma. The man was attacked and suffered heavy head trauma, later dying in a hospital. Police have arrested a 21-year-old in connection with the assault.
The incident sparked mass protests, with thousands taking to the streets accusing the government of abandoning its citizens and ignoring years of violence linked to Roma settlements. Demonstrators have demanded stronger security measures and have called for Prime Minister Robert Golob’s resignation.
On Wednesday, the country’s interior and justice ministers officially resigned, citing their “objective responsibility” for the deteriorating security situation in southeastern Slovenia, where violence involving Roma has intensified.
The government has also announced an emergency omnibus bill under which police would gain expanded powers, including the ability to conduct raids and remove individuals from public spaces without a court order if they pose an immediate threat. Officers will also be able to temporarily close bars or public gatherings where crimes or incitement to violence occur.
Police would also be allowed to enter private property without a warrant when a person’s actions seriously threaten public order, and use drones, video surveillance, and license-plate recognition systems in high-risk areas.
The reforms also propose to limit or seize social benefits from repeat offenders, fine individuals by drawing from previously protected welfare payments, and abolish child allowances for under-age mothers which Golob says have become “a financial model that drags young girls into slavery in Roma settlements.”
Golob has insisted the reforms are aimed at tackling crime rather than targeting any ethnic group. “This is not a fight against the Roma. It is a fight against crime,” he said.
The bill, named after Ales Sutar, is expected to reach parliament next month and could be passed by late November.
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