The people of Crnomelj in Slovenia must act self-protectively, otherwise they are complicit if the migrants deprive them of anything, shows in the Crnomelj court the defence of Mitja Inkret, lawyer of an Algerian migrant. Two migrants drove away a 27-year-old golf in front of a house in Crnomelj in June this year. But within half an hour the police had already caught them.
Algerian driver Adam Sekvali smuggled across the border from Croatia to Slovenia for the second time. Border control does not work. The district court gave him three months in prison for “borrowing” a car that contained the keys and because meeting with the police officers wasn’t the most gentle one.
The prosecutor’s office, however, complained this summer that this was not enough. “The crime would not have happened if the owner had locked the car and not left the ignition keys in the car. Given that the owner was aware that he was located in an area with a high number of illegal crossings, he would also be expected to act with due care and security of his movable property, rather than leaving it freely accessible. It is clear from the above that the owner made a significant contribution to the crime.” This was written by lawyer Mitja Inkret, who is trying to defend the migrant from Algeria, Adam Sekwali, in the Crnomelj District Court, in front of a complaint from the Novo mesto prosecution that disagrees that the migrant was sentenced to just three months in prison for stealing golf.
You prefer to protect yourself
The police are also calling for self-protective behaviour by people in the border areas, so that cars, flats can be locked and their property is taken care of. The village guards, however, as reported by the National Security Council of Prime Minister Marjan Sarec and the Prime Minister himself, are not desirable and are closely and constantly monitored by the police. They are also looking for ways how to fine and punish these “guards”.
A migrant before a Slovenian
The lawyer, who objects to the proposal for a harsher sentence for the migrant, also doubts that the car has suffered five hundred euros in damage, since the 27-year-old golf is whole worth that money. But the Sekvali, says his lawyer, has not been punished so far, is not in criminal proceedings and is young and in need. For the second time, he came to Slovenia because of difficult personal circumstances that led him to leave home “and try to find asylum in Slovenia”.
The example shows what problems people face in the border areas as more and more migrants cross the border on daily basis.