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The Equal Rights Review, Vol. One (2008) Testimony of an “Erased” Man from Slovenia On 26 February 1992, in the Republic of Slo- venia, at least 18,305 people were unlawfully removed from the registry of permanent res- idents. They were mainly people from other former Yugoslav republics who had been liv- ing in Slovenia and had not acquired Slove- nian citizenship after the country became in- dependent in June 1991. 1 As a result of their removal ex lege from the registry, an act also referred to as the “erasure”, they became for- eigners or stateless persons. These “erased” persons remain to date among the most dis- advantaged and marginalised groups in the country and in the region. On 2 November 2007, in a joint statement, 2 The Equal Rights Trust and Amnesty Inter- national urged the Slovenian government to withdraw a draft constitutional law, pre- sented to parliament on 30 October 2007, which was intended to resolve the status of the “erased”. In its present form the draft law continues to violate the human rights of the “erased” and further aggravates their dis- advantaged position. It maintains discrimi- natory treatment of the “erased”, provides new legal grounds for more discriminatory actions by the authorities, including the possibility to revise decisions on individual cases where permanent residency has been restored, and fails to retroactively restore the status of permanent residents to all the “erased”. The draft also disclaims responsi- bility by state bodies for the “erasure” and explicitly excludes the possibility of com- pensation for the human rights violations suffered by the “erased”. In the section of this journal dedicated to ERT advocacy, you can read more about the Trust’s concerns regarding the continuing discrimination of the “erased”, elaborated in a letter to Janez Janša, the Prime Minister of Slovenia. Earlier, on 15 October 2007, ERT submitted a third party brief to the European Court of Human Rights in a case addressing the discrimination against “erased” persons in Slovenia. 3 One of the eleven applicants in this case is Mr Velimir Dabeti !. In Decem- ber 2007, he spoke to ERT’s representative Donatella Fregonese, who wrote up his tes- timony on the basis of the Italian language original. X#6.6 © m$*,4,0 W)S$., I??K

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Page 1: Testimony of an “Erased” Man from Slovenia Testimony.pdfIn May 2006 his application for leave to remain was rejected, on the grounds that he “does not have a valid leave to re-main”

The Equal Rights Review, Vol. One (2008)

67

Testimony of an “Erased” Man from Slovenia

On 26 February 1992, in the Republic of Slo-venia, at least 18,305 people were unlawfully removed from the registry of permanent res-idents. They were mainly people from other former Yugoslav republics who had been liv-ing in Slovenia and had not acquired Slove-nian citizenship after the country became in-dependent in June 1991.1 As a result of their removal ex lege from the registry, an act also referred to as the “erasure”, they became for-eigners or stateless persons. These “erased” persons remain to date among the most dis-advantaged and marginalised groups in the country and in the region.

On 2 November 2007, in a joint statement,2 The Equal Rights Trust and Amnesty Inter-national urged the Slovenian government to withdraw a draft constitutional law, pre-sented to parliament on 30 October 2007, which was intended to resolve the status of the “erased”. In its present form the draft law continues to violate the human rights of the “erased” and further aggravates their dis-advantaged position. It maintains discrimi-natory treatment of the “erased”, provides new legal grounds for more discriminatory actions by the authorities, including the possibility to revise decisions on individual cases where permanent residency has been restored, and fails to retroactively restore the status of permanent residents to all the “erased”. The draft also disclaims responsi-bility by state bodies for the “erasure” and explicitly excludes the possibility of com-pensation for the human rights violations

suffered by the “erased”. In the section of this journal dedicated to ERT advocacy, you can read more about the Trust’s concerns regarding the continuing discrimination of the “erased”, elaborated in a letter to Janez Janša, the Prime Minister of Slovenia.

Earlier, on 15 October 2007, ERT submitted a third party brief to the European Court of Human Rights in a case addressing the discrimination against “erased” persons in Slovenia.3 One of the eleven applicants in this case is Mr Velimir Dabeti!. In Decem-ber 2007, he spoke to ERT’s representative Donatella Fregonese, who wrote up his tes-timony on the basis of the Italian language original.

X#6.6 © m$*,4,0%W)S$.,�%I??K

Page 2: Testimony of an “Erased” Man from Slovenia Testimony.pdfIn May 2006 his application for leave to remain was rejected, on the grounds that he “does not have a valid leave to re-main”

The Equal Rights Review, Vol. One (2008)

68

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The Equal Rights Review, Vol. One (2008)

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X#6.6 © m$*,4,0%W)S$.,�%I??K

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The Equal Rights Review, Vol. One (2008)

70

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On Christmas Eve 2005, Bologna Chief of Police issued Velimir Dabeti! an expul-sion order. Threatened with arrest for not leaving the country, Mr Dabeti! was advised to apply for formal recognition of his status as a stateless person. But be-fore he could do this, Italian regulations required that he should obtain leave to remain from the Ministry of the Interior. In May 2006 his application for leave to remain was rejected, on the grounds that he “does not have a valid leave to re-main”.

In April 2006, Pesaro Chief of Police or-dered Mr Dabeti! to leave Italy within ive days or face imprisonment. On 16 June 2006, Mr Dabeti! was arrested and imprisoned in Mantova. Three days later he was brought to court. The President of Mantova Tribunal, Dr. Giovanni Scaglioni

stated the following in his decision: “The defendant has reported that he was un-able to obey the expulsion order. Having been deprived of Slovenian citizenship, he could not be repatriated to a country which refuses to accept him. He has docu-mented that he has asked to be recog-nised as a stateless person; the procedure is pending. His lawyer has submitted a note from the Slovenian Consulate in Tri-este stating that Velimir Dabeti! is not a citizen of the Republic of Slovenia. The de-fendant must be absolved from all charg-es. In fact, having been expelled from the country as a Yugoslav citizen and having lost his right to Slovenian citizenship, at present he has a justiied reason for not leaving Italy, since he will not be received by Slovenia or by any other state. The fact, therefore, has no penal implications.” 7

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V% #6Q$% .#).% /66;% .#,/% /,.().,6;% O,**% S$% 0$b/6*7$<2% c60%4$%Q$0/6;)**R2% )/%O$**% )/%$7$0Rb6;$% $*/$% ,;% /,4,*)0% P,0P(4/.);P$/D% V^4% ,;%P6;.)P.%O,.#%)%;$.O60d%6c%Q$6Q*$%O#6%<$)*%O,.#%.#$%o$0)/$<pD%"#$0$%)0$%4);R%O#6%#)7$%#$*Q$<%4$%S(.%*,..*$%P);%S$%)P#,$7$<%O,.#6(.%.#$%c(**%$;-)-$4$;.%6c%.#$%&B%);<%.#$%a*67$b;,);%-67$0;4$;.Dp

When contacted by ERT in January 2008, over 18 months after the Mantova Tri-bunal judgment, Dabeti! had still not re-ceived leave to remain from the Italian authorities. He remains in a legal limbo as we go to press.

Page 6: Testimony of an “Erased” Man from Slovenia Testimony.pdfIn May 2006 his application for leave to remain was rejected, on the grounds that he “does not have a valid leave to re-main”

The Equal Rights Review, Vol. One (2008)

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