President receives the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe

Ljubljana, 21.3.2012  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, received the former Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Thomas Hammarberg, for a discussion and working dinner. The discussion was also attended by human rights ombudswoman, Dr Zdenka Čebašek﷓Travnik, representatives of Slovenian civil society, and Dr Nils Muižnieks, who has succeeded Thomas Hammarberg as Commissioner for Human Rights.

The participants addressed current questions of human rights in Slovenia and Europe. Commissioner Hammarberg's reports reveal numerous problems arising both in Eastern and Western Europe. The reports include warnings concerning violations of the right to freedom of expression, increasing xenophobia, the incitement of racial, religious, and ethnic hatred, violations of the position and rights of prisoners, and in the current crisis violations of fundamental social rights, and increasing poverty.

The participants dedicated special attention to conditions and current questions regarding human rights in the Republic of Slovenia. They touched on the problem of the ‘erased’ and further tasks to solve this problem. They also evaluated the progress of efforts to improve the position of the Roma and problems concerning their inclusion in education and employment.