By: dr. Andreja Valič Zver
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we met at a conference in the European Parliament. Amparo Fuertes, a beautiful lady from Madrid, a human rights advocate, and the wife of former European Parliament member and Vice-President Alejo Vidal-Quadras, who was shot in the head by an assassin a year ago. And me, with a long history of efforts to rectify the injustices of totalitarian regimes, the wife of a European Parliament member and a man who has been blacklisted by the Iranian regime due to his fight for democracy. Given the regime’s brutality, this naturally poses a serious threat and can even mean a “hit”, as we saw in the case of the attack on Vidal-Quadras, which security experts abroad also warned us about.
You can imagine that we had much to talk about. Amparo spoke about the latest developments related to the attack on her husband, who luckily survived and continues his rich political career. Together with Milan, he remains a steadfast supporter of the democratic Iranian opposition, which opposes the totalitarian regime. We agreed that such threats affect the daily lives of endangered politicians and their family members. Constant vigilance – whether parking a car or observing people and surroundings – is far from pleasant. And then there is everything else that comes with a sense of being under threat. Incidentally, the parliamentary security service even advised us against traveling to the Balkans and other places. Yet, as we can see, the murderous reach of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps knows no borders.
Spanish police, of course, immediately protected the Vidal-Quadras family, and with the cooperation of Interpol, the hunt for the attackers began. The attackers are part of an international conspiracy group funded by Iran. Three of them were arrested shortly thereafter, including a woman. The alleged assassin was recently apprehended by Dutch police as he prepared to murder an Iranian dissident. However, the mastermind behind these criminal acts remains at large and is at the top of Interpol’s most-wanted list!
And here we come to the core of the matter. When I wrote a year ago about “politicians who get shot,” I thought a lot about politicians and “politicians.” It is relatively easy to engage in politics when it is convenient and offers simple and cheap solutions. It is much harder if you are not just an observer and commentator on events but also their creator and a “changer of things.” And not just in your backyard, but also on the international stage. This can lead you into dangerous entanglements. Such politicians are quite rare. They are always and everywhere targets, not only of their opponents on the political battlefield but often also of so-called companions from the same political pool. Human narrow-mindedness, envy, and corruption are, unfortunately, universal. When you enter the political arena, you must arm yourself with a thick skin and a peculiar insensitivity to the traumas that occasionally emerge from people. But it is harder to accept the fact that striving for “the common good” – the broadest definition of political engagement – puts your life at risk. Of course, we are not naïve. From the assassination of Julius Caesar to countless secular and religious rulers, political history has been bloody. Historians, especially those few Slovenian researchers of totalitarian history, understand this well. It is crystal clear to us that the grave violations of human dignity that occurred during World War II and afterward could easily be repeated in today’s Slovenian and international reality. Despite all the pledges to the contrary, it sadly seems that the Slovenian nation has not learned much from its past. Political opportunists like Žavbi and Premk shamelessly demonstrate every day that the agenda of “we did not do enough” is encouraged by the political leadership and the old nomenclature. Their arsenal also includes the relentless fight of Slovenian “injustice” against Janez Janša, to whom protected individuals have been threatening death for years.
The conclusion will not be very encouraging. Or perhaps it will. Personally, I believe politics can be conducted in various ways. With mediocrity. By making rotten compromises. With bureaucratic cunning. Through espionage. For personal gain. Such “politicians” might even score short-term success, but history will sooner or later expose their shortsightedness and dishonest intentions.
But among politicians, there are also a different kind of people. Those who swear by values. Excellence. Knowledge. Mutual assistance and teamwork. Leadership abilities. Sensitivity to the challenges of the time. Empathy.
We all know that the political stage is slippery, and many fall on it. History remains an unforgiving judge. That is why it is important to stay on the right side, despite the risks and the fact that, sometimes, politicians also get shot.