RTV reported that Slovenia has established a police curfew for the first time since World War II. Technically, the restriction of movement between 9 pm and 6 am is not a police curfew and the last police curfew in our territory was established by the communist authorities. “A police curfew, during which all movement and all traffic is prohibited, is valid from 9 pm to 5 am,” was written on a leaflet issued by Headquarters VII of the Yugoslav Army Corps (YAC) and made public on May 9, 1945, after the end of World War II.
Due to the rapid spread of infections among the population, the government has introduced several measures, including a temporary restriction of movement. The restriction on movement applies to regions coloured red and is valid between 9 pm and 6 am. The measure was adopted on the basis of the Infectious Diseases Act and not on the basis of a declaration of a state of emergency, which would enable a declaration of a police curfew. But the legally ignorant media mixed apples with oranges and uses the measure for political reckoning.
Although, given the rapid and sharp rise in the number of infections and patients in need of hospital care, it is clear that every effort must be made to curb proliferation of COVID-19. Yet, the media still prefers to engage in misleading interpretations of government measures due to their dislike of the current government. On RTV, they even went as far as to report about establishment of a police curfew for the first time since World War II. This is a double lie: this is not a police curfew in the true sense of the word, and the last curfew was not last established by the Nazi occupiers, but by the post-war communist authorities – the occupier we finally got rid of on this very day 30 years ago when the last YPA soldiers left Slovenia.
Prime Minister Janez Janša published a document/leaflet on Twitter, signed in May 1945 by Janez Vipotnik and Franc Poglajen, colonels of the Yugoslav Army – not officially an occupier, meaning that the population of Ljubljana received the order of restrictive measures from their own state. The regulation called on the civilian population to stay in their homes and carry out their work until further instructions.
- The civilian population should remain completely peaceful in their homes
- Everyone is guaranteed the safety of life and private property
- All public and private servants should remain in their posts and carry out their work until further instructions
- Any violence, personal reckoning, theft, robbery and plunder of public or military property is strictly prohibited. Anyone who commits any of the above offenses will be brought before a military court. All property of the occupying army is the property of the Yugoslav Army
- The civilian population must hand over all weapons, military equipment, ammunition and all other military material within 24 hours of liberation
- The civilian population is obliged to give the military authorities all the necessary explanations and must behave in a dignified manner, aware that our army is coming to all places as a liberator.
- The curfew, during which all movement and all traffic is prohibited, is valid from 9 pm to 6 am
- The movement of civilians from place to place is permitted only with the permission of the competent military command
- The order is already in force. Violators of this order will be held accountable before a military court
It is clear from the attached leaflet that the statement of the public media, which says that the current restriction of movement is the first “curfew” after the Second World War is not true. “It would be appropriate for RTV Slovenia to correct untrue allegations and speculations,” Prime Minister urged, adding that it is unacceptable for public media to ignore both, the facts and the constitution. By labelling the restriction – which is in place because of perfectly understandable and well-intentioned reasons – as a curfew, the media creates a negative connotation that communicates that the government is using restrictive measures directed against citizens and not working in their favour. In this way, they incite and encourage the public not to take anti-COVID-19 measures seriously, which in no way contributes to the well-being and health of the people of Slovenia. In times of crisis, crisis measures are needed if we want to get our lives back on track.