By: Nova24tv.si
President of the Republic Nataša Pirc Musar has once again demonstrated that she is the president of only half of Slovenians – the far-left half. Today, she awarded recognition for work in the field of human rights to all those erased. They were forced to become human rights advocates, she stated. The award was accepted by Irfan Beširević, president of the Civil Initiative of Erased Activists, who called on the government to adopt appropriate legislation.
“The erased are a Slovenian story, a story of arbitrary and systemic injustice by the authorities, who suddenly erased an entire group of people from the life of the Republic of Slovenia,” stated the justification for the award. It was explained that the erased individuals managed to fight for the respect of their human rights through self-organisation and persistence, utilising all available domestic and international human rights mechanisms. According to the justification, their fight was also “a fight for the rule of law, where the rights of all residents are respected.”
Pirc Musar on a “dark stain”
President Nataša Pirc Musar described the situation surrounding the erased as a “dark stain in Slovenian history” and urged the government to adopt legislation that would regulate the status of the erased. She expressed frustration over the lack of response from the government and the Ministry of the Interior regarding a proposed law to systemically address their situation. Pirc Musar also pledged to assist those left homeless and without rights in the same way she had helped one erased individual secure permanent residency in Slovenia after two years of hospitalisation.
With such rhetoric, which reflects only one side of history, the president risks deepening the divide among Slovenians. But who were the erased, really? Some have even called them “the cunning erased.”
The “cunning erased”
On February 26th, 1992, Slovenia erased 25,671 people who held citizenship of the former Yugoslav republics from its Register of Permanent Residents. While it is true that some individuals were wronged due to an inability to complete the required paperwork or a lack of awareness, the fact remains that most of those affected failed to take advantage of the opportunities provided. Nevertheless, current authorities argue for revisiting legislation governing the status of all the erased and even considering compensation for them. According to the president of the National Assembly, the term “erased” should even be replaced with “victims.”
The period of Slovenia’s War of Independence and its subsequent path to sovereignty required individuals to make a clear decision: to remain in Slovenia as its citizens or to speculate on whether Slovenia would successfully achieve independence. Over 180,000 people made the timely and correct choice, while others failed to do so for various reasons. While a minority genuinely could not resolve their status, the majority were engaged in speculation.
For instance, Aleksandar Todorović, a leader of the erased, famously stated in 1996: “I did not apply for Slovenian citizenship because it would have been uncivilised.” In a video recording, Todorović was asked by former Minister of the Interior and current head of the Consular Sector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrej Šter: “If we could rewind time to February 26th, would you, Mr. Todorović, decide to regulate your foreigner status back then?” Todorović replied, “Of course.” When Šter asked why he had not done so, Todorović retorted, “Why would I?”