Jurist Slovenia rights coalition files appeal to challenge seizures of Roma social assistance

[Dadparvar]

Amnesty International released a statement Wednesday sharing that they are a part of an appeal to Slovenia’s Constitutional Court seeking to end “punitive seizures” of social assistance disproportionately affecting the Roma community. The case was filed by the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy, which is a coalition of four non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The case responds to the Act on Urgent Measures to Ensure Public Security, also known as the ‘Security Law’ or the ‘Šutar Act,’ which was quickly passed in November 2025. The law was adopted in response to the death of Aleš Šutar, who was killed in an altercation outside a bar in Novo Mesto, a small town in southeastern Slovenia. A 21-year-old Romani man was arrested as the main suspect. Following the incident, there was an increase in violence and hate speech against the whole Roma community.

This law gives the Tax Office the power to seize social assistance from those who have at least three unpaid fines for minor offences within the last two years. The Network’s main concern is that the measures disproportionately affect the Roma community. Further, the law has no provisions protecting vulnerable individuals, with a particularly concerning absence of limits on how much assistance may be seized. The Network submits to the court that this lack of safeguards expands the Tax Authority’s powers and “unduly infringes upon affected individuals’ rights to social security, access to legal remedy and privacy.” Esther Major, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Research in Europe summarizes coalition’s position, declaring:

Just months after coming into force, this harmful law is being used to target individuals and communities that already face daily discrimination, exclusion and poverty. As predicted, these unjustified measures are disproportionately affecting Roma communities, violating their right to social security and leaving some families with no social support at all. Access to social assistance is a right for everybody, regardless of their circumstances, and should never be weaponised to penalize individuals, families or communities.

Roma refers to many sub-groups who traditionally lived nomadically across Europe from the ninth century onwards. Their groups were made up of artisans, musicians, entertainers, blacksmiths, and more, and they were initially welcomed for their variety of skills. However, over time, governments and churches began to label them as ‘suspicious outsiders.’ In many places, Roma were forced into slavery, sentenced to death, or expelled. During World War II, the Nazis in Germany deemed the Roma “racially inferior” and targeted hundreds of thousands of them. Today, Roma still face inadequate living conditions, police harassment, violent attacks, and other forms of oppression.

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob has stressed that the Act is preventive, not punitive. He speaks of the Act as an important state solution to prevent minor offences from going unpunished by removing a “sense of untouchability and impunity.” He said the Act is “not against any particular ethnic group, but against crime itself.”

Amnesty International calls on Slovenian authorities to cease the use of these measures, restore assistance to those affected, and amend the law to bring it in line with human rights obligations. Slovenia has ratified many international human rights treaties, which require it to guarantee social security and an adequate standard of living to everyone without discrimination. When the law was passed, Mensur Haliti, Vice President at the Roma Foundation for Europe, described the broader implications of these rights violations, stating:

The Slovenian government’s response is now a test not only of Slovenia’s constitutional maturity but of Europe’s resolve to uphold its own legal and moral standards…If Europe cannot uphold its standards at home, it cannot credibly demand them abroad.

There is currently no official date for when the court is to hear the challenge. In the meantime, Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action which asks individuals to write letters to the Prime Minister.

The post Slovenia rights coalition files appeal to challenge seizures of Roma social assistance appeared first on JURIST - News.

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