“Slovenia has undertaken a number of initiatives in recent years to address major human rights issues concerning migrants, Roma, the “erased” and people living in poverty. It is crucial to reinforce these efforts to ensure that no one is left behind and the human rights of all are upheld”, said Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing today a report on his visit to the country in March.
Welcoming Slovenia’s participation in the EU emergency relocation scheme, as well as in the resettlement of asylum seekers from countries neighbouring Syria, the Commissioner encourages the authorities to make systemic adjustments to ensure that the country can handle increasing numbers of asylum applications. “Slovenia is becoming a country of destination for asylum seekers, and the authorities should improve the quality of the services available to them, including by shortening the length of asylum procedures. The authorities should also avoid activating the January 2017 amendments to the Aliens Act because they lack both appropriate guarantees against refoulement and safeguards for the rights of everyone to seek and enjoy asylum,” the Commissioner said.
