SDS demands a discussion on the disrespectful treatment of victims from the concealed mass grave Jama under Macesnova Gorica

By: Moja Dolenjska

The parliamentary group of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) is demanding the convening of an urgent session of the Commission for Petitions, Human Rights, and Equal Opportunities, chaired by Jože Tanko.

They will address the agenda item titled Respectful and Dignified Burial of the Victims from the Concealed Mass Grave Jama under Macesnova Gorica.

The reason for the request is the decision by the Ministry of Defence to temporarily transfer more than 3,000 remains of victims of interwar and postwar violence, which had until now been stored in unsuitable conditions in the garage of Komunala Kočevje, to the ossuary near Škofja Loka.

Despite promises to seek consensus with relatives and the wider public, the transfer was carried out unilaterally, without prior agreement on the final burial location.

The SDS emphasises that a dignified burial of innocent victims is a fundamental civilisational, ethical, and legal act. Undignified storage of remains and postponing a permanent solution cause further pain to relatives and insult the memory of the victims.

In their request to convene the session, they highlighted:

• The clearly broken promise by Minister of Defence Borut Sajovic to seek agreement with relatives before any transfer;
• Insufficient involvement of the Government Commission for Resolving Issues of Concealed Mass Graves in decisions regarding the burial;
• Calls from civil society, experts, and the Church for respectful handling and permanent arrangement of burial in a more suitable location – the capital city;
• Examples from abroad, especially Croatia, where victims are systematically and respectfully buried.

They also point to the broader context of denial of communist regime crimes and the abolition of May 17^th as the day of remembrance for victims of communism, demonstrating the current government’s disrespectful approach to this topic.

They propose adopting the following resolutions:

1. Condemnation of the undignified storage of remains and practices that deny victims the fundamental right to a grave.
2. Condemnation of the transfer of remains to Lipica near Škofja Loka without relatives’ consent.
3. A call on the Ministry of the Interior to issue extracts from the civil registry of 14,901 victims documented on the Farna memorial plaque list.
4. A call for identification of victims, including Slovenian Roma.
5. A demand for permanent arrangements for a dignified burial of exhumed victims at the Žale Cemetery in Ljubljana.

SDS believes that the Republic of Slovenia owes the victims a dignified burial, the relatives respectful treatment, and citizens a clear signal that respect for human dignity, even after death, remains a fundamental value of a democratic society.