The “Šutar Law”, as it is nicknamed by the media in Slovenia, was passed in record time and is named after Aleš Šutar, who was killed by a young Romani man during a clash in Novo Mesto, Slovenia at the end of October. That incident was followed by a wave of anti-Romani hate campaigns, police raids in Romani neighborhoods, protests, and the resignation of two ministers.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob responded to the incident by promising to “restore trust in the state” and submitted a law on emergency security measures to Parliament. According to him, the law is “not targeting any ethnic group,” but targets crime.
Opponents of the law argue the opposite. According to them, it creates an exceptional regime that primarily affects the Romani minority and poses a precedent-setting threat to the entire European Union.
The new legislation allows police to enter homes or vehicles in so-called “high-risk areas” where it is “necessary to protect people and seize weapons” without warrants. Police are permitted to use automatic license plate recognition, camera systems, and drones during such operations.
The Army is also allowed to assist in such security operations on the territory of Slovenia. The areas where these measures will apply will be determined by police chiefs based on a domestic security assessment.
Lawyers point out that the law violates constitutional articles on the inviolability of the home, protection of privacy, and restrictions on the use of the military.
Criticism from Romani organizations: This law is introducing the principle of collective guilt
Amnesty International, the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), and the Roma Foundation for Europe warn that the law creates conditions for applying the principles of collective guilt and discrimination. “If the government confuses the fight against crime with policing the Roma, it is not protecting public safety — it is punishing an entire ethnic group for the actions of individuals. This law turns entire neighborhoods into security zones,” said Mensur Haliti of the Roma Foundation for Europe.
Haliti points out that the adoption of the law also has far-reaching implications for the European Union as a whole. According to him, by introducing measures which stigmatize whole minorities and weaken legal certainty, the EU is losing moral authority in its neighborhood.
“A [European] Union that allows fear to become policy at home cannot lecture its neighbors about democracy and the rule of law,” Haliti said. The European Roma Rights Centre warns the law is a response to the moral panic that erupted in Slovenia after the tragic incident.
According to the ERRC, Romani communities have been living in fear ever since, as the state adopted the law in an atmosphere of hatred. “The government gave in to pressure from the streets. Repression against Roma has intensified, instead of addressing the causes. The situation is not improving, it is getting worse. Antigypsyism is present here every day,” the ERRC quoted local Romani activist Haris Tahirović as saying.
Romani people are afraid to send their children to school in Slovenia
The atmosphere in Romani communities in Slovenia is tense. “Police patrols are driving through the settlements, people are afraid. Children are not going to school, we are afraid of reprisals,” a Romani resident of the Mihovica district told a local newspaper.
Other Romani residents there say they are afraid to leave their homes or to shop in nearby Novo Mesto. According to the ERRC, all public discussion of the law has been reduced to discussion of the so-called “Romani problem”, while poverty, segregation, and structural discrimination remain unaddressed.
The law also includes measures such as allowing the use of what would otherwise be considered illegally-obtained evidence, extending the pre-trial detention of suspects for up to three years, restricting access to legal aid, and setting stricter terms for welfare eligibility. Access to per-child welfare benefits may be restricted, especially in the case of teenage mothers.
The Slovenian Faculty of Social Work has called the proposal unconstitutional and contrary to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to experts, such a system punishes, rather than supports, those who need help the most.
Amnesty International: This law threatens human rights
The Amnesty International organization has been warning that the newly-adopted law fundamentally threatens the human rights of all in Slovenia while exposing the Romani community to a particularly high risk of discrimination. According to Deputy Director for Research in Europe Esther Major, the law, under the pretext of ensuring security, unacceptably expands judicial and police powers while weakening the basic guarantees of the rule of law which Slovenia has long recognized.
“Romani people already face daily discrimination, poverty, and exclusion. This law will further exacerbate the situation,” said Major.
Amnesty International notes that the government’s rhetoric defending the new law is full of emotion and stigmatization. While the law does not explicitly mention Romani people, the manner in which it is being enforced and the public debate surrounding it raise serious concerns about the selective, targeted abuse of that minority.
A coalition of left-wing parties boycotted the law, saying that it was repressive. However, according to a survey by the Mediana agency for public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, more than 60% of the population approve of the government’s move.
The adoption of the law took place in a tense pre-election atmosphere, with Golob’s party losing support and the nationalist opposition led by Janez Janša gaining strength. Romani people have been living on the territory of what is now Slovenia since the 15th century.
According to the 2002 census, 3,246 Romani people declared their nationality to the state, but the Council of Europe estimates that there are approximately 8,500 Romani people in Slovenia, or roughly 0.4% of the population. The largest Romani communities are located in the east and southeast of the country (in Bílá krajina, Dolní Kraňsko, Prekmurje), with smaller Romani groups in cities such as Celje, Jesenice, Ljubljana, and Maribor.
The Romani minority in Slovenia has long faced persistent discrimination, exclusion that is structural in nature, and poverty.