STA, 3 May 2022 - The police and the Information Commissioner have launched a probe after the personal information of a Polish citizen who took part in a recent protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Ljubljana was shared with an embassy employee by a police officer, Delo reports on Tuesday.

The Polish citizen, protesting at a security fence of the heavily guarded embassy, was asked by a police officer to step back and was identified.

Once the officer wrote down the information, he was approached by an embassy employee who had been recording the protest and demanded that the officer show what he had written down.

The officer complied and the embassy employee took a photo of his notes with a mobile phone, Delo says.

Concerned about his security, the Polish man contacted the Polish Embassy in Ljubljana, Polish Ambassador to Slovenia Krzysztof Olendzki told the paper.

As soon as he learnt about the incident, Olendzki filed a complaint against the police officer's conduct.

The police confirmed that an internal probe was under way, while the Information Commissioner initiated inspection proceedings on suspicion that the police officer mishandled personal information.

STA, 16 March 2022 - The Slovenian chapter of Amnesty International has launched an international campaign in a bid to get the Slovenian authorities to withdraw their claims for Jaša Jenull, one of the figureheads of Friday's bicycle protests, to pay for the costs of policing of anti-government rallies.

The urgent campaign will see members of the human rights organisation from all over the world call on Prime Minister Janez Janša for the compensation claims amounting to tens of thousands of euros to be withdrawn, something the organisation has already done.

Jenull has received three claims to compensate the Interior Ministry for the cost of policing, one late last year amounting to EUR 2,255 for the policing of an October 2020 rally, one in February amounting to EUR 3,778 over a September 2020 protest and the last one this month amounting to EUR 34,000 over a June 2020 rally.

The authorities claim the costs result from the protests not being registered with the police. They allege the protests were organised by Jenull, which Amnesty International says is only because he is one of the most prominent protesters even though he has denied on several occasions his being one of the organisers.

The human rights organisation sees the claims and the threat of further claims for payments as intimidation and suppression of the right to peaceful protest. Moreover, they say the authorities want to increase the chilling effect on other protesters, underscoring that peaceful protests are a fundamental element of a free and democratic society.

Amnesty International expressed concern about the actions of Slovenian authorities in its position issued at the international level. By signing a petition on the organisation's website citizens can demand of PM Janez Janša that the state withdraw lawsuits and claims for damages and stop punishing peaceful protesters.

STA, 2 March 2022 - The second rally in support of Ukraine in two days was held in Ljubljana on Wednesday with senior government officials condemning Russia's aggression and highlighting that Ukraine was fighting not just for itself but for freedom and democracy throughout Europe. 

The rally was organised by the Ljubljana-Kyiv Cultural Association, the Ukrainian diaspora and Ukraine's embassy and featured speeches by Prime Minister Janez Janša, deputy prime ministers Matej Tonin and Zdravko Počivalšek, National Council President Alojz Kovšca, and Ukrainian Ambassador Mykhailo Brodovych.

Ambassador Brodovych said Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to punish Ukraine and its people for their Euro-Atlantic aspirations and desire to be part of the European family as he vowed that Ukrainians will "fight and defend our homeland".

He also thanked the people of Slovenia and the government for "determination, patriotism and support."

Prime Minister Janez Janša said that soldiers as well as civilians were dying in Ukraine fighting "not only for freedom, democracy and a European future, but for survival."

He praised the bravery of Ukrainians standing up to Russian tanks with their bare hands and drew parallels with Slovenia's independence war.

"When Slovenians saw and felt that we are united and brave, we knew we would succeed. But we still remember the tensions, threats and victims. This is why we know how the Ukrainians feel, hence the solidarity with them."

The prime minister singled out Ukrainian ore deposits, nuclear energy and fertile land as the reasons why Russia has attacked. He is convinced that those who think Putin should be appeased "have learnt nothing from history."

If Putin captures Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Baltic countries will be next, and perhaps other parts of Europe as well, he said.

Defence Minister Tonin similarly said that Ukraine's survival would mark the survival of freedom and democracy. "Every day that the Ukrainian people persevere, we are closer to victory and peace."

According to Economy Minister Počivalšek, Slovenians know, perhaps better than some other nations, that there is only one way - for the whole world to unite and stop the rampage. "I'm very glad that we are united in the EU," he said.

Slovenia's unity was also highlighted by Kovšca, who said Europe was "determined to defend the freedom of the world." It will pay the price in the form of higher energy prices, but "we will not let the dominoes of freedom and democracy fall."

Yevgeny Goreshnyk of the Ljubljana-Kyiv Cultural Association stressed that Ukraine wanted to become a member of the EU and thanked Slovenia, in particular Janša for his advocacy of Ukraine's EU membership.

A statement by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was read and in it he mentioned yesterday's destruction of the Slovenian consulate in Kharkiv. "Dear Janez, we will rebuild it together as a EU family. We are ready," he said.

The rally followed a similar gathering in Ljubljana yesterday that was organised by over thirty civil society organisations.

STA, 11 February 2022 - The anti-government protesters who gathered in Republic Square on Friday believe government officials deserve medals "for fight against democracy and the rule of law". They said Police Commissioner Anton Olaj deserves bronze, Interior Minister Aleš Hojs silver and Prime Minister Janez Janša gold.

The protesting People's Assembly said in a press release that Slovenia was not in the forefront only in the Olympics but also in the destroying of democracy. It believes Janša is using the Olympics for his self-promotion and election campaign.

To illustrate the situation in the country, the protesters decided to give out medals to government officials. Olaj was given the bronze medal for launching proceedings against former parliamentary Speaker Pavel Gantar, journalist Blaž Zgaga and others.

Addressing the rally, Gantar expressed his support to the protesters, which have been rallying for 95 Fridays. "You are proving that the civil society in Slovenia is not a dead body that can be tossed around by anybody and walked over," he said.

He said that those in power were trying to turn the parliament into a "caricature". He stressed media needed to be protected and urged protesters to turn out in the 24 April general election.

The protesters gave the silver medal to Hojs, arguing that a parliamentary inquiry had confirmed suspicions of political interfering in police work, destruction of the National bureau of Investigation, and political staffing.

The gold medal went to Janša as "the main architect of political manipulation, attacks on the media, violations of the constitution, interfering with the division of powers, intimidation of critics and ruthless political staffing".

Political parties running in the April election will on Monday present their views on the 138 demands of the Voice of the People initiative, the organisers of the rally said. This is to help voters decide on who they will vote for in the election, they added.

STA, 11 February 2022 - A new movement has been set up in Maribor that will strive to abolish Covid restrictions on all levels of society and for normal functioning of education and healthcare. If necessary, the movement will turn into a party and stand in the upcoming general election, said its founders in Maribor on Friday.

According to Gaber Marolt, coordinator of the Movement of the Free and Well Informed (Gibanje Svobodni in Ozaveščeni Slovenije - SOS), the country's fight against the epidemic is "completely misguided" and the restrictive measures "are causing nothing but harm".

After analysing the current political options, the movement's founders came to a conclusion that none of the existing parties promises normalisation of the current situation in the country.

"Since we can actively affect the situation in the country exclusively from parliament this conclusion has led us to decide that a movement or a political party must be created in Slovenia that will ensure normal life without pointless restrictions," said Marolt, Aleš Goršak, Iris Magajna and Žiga Legat, representatives of the movement.

The SOS will be an "independent folk's movement" that will strive for a new type of rule, where the goal will be a society that is "based on achievements, facts that can be checked, mutual respect and trust".

The focus will be on the people, freedom, and welfare, human rights will be respected and laws will be clear and fair, the founders said.

Their priority will be efforts to normalise the conditions at schools, lift Covid restrictions, make informing on Covid-19 and other diseases more transparent and allow free movement of people and goods.

Individuals from the movement have so far been active in various initiatives stressing the rights of children.

In cooperation with some other initiatives, the movement is filing into parliament today a demand for expanding early treatment of Covid, for which they had collected several hundred signatures.

STA, 21 December 2021 - The State Attorney's Office has filed a lawsuit to collect the costs the police incurred as a result of policing unregistered anti-government protests from a protest organiser. However, it has not revealed against whom the suit has been filed or how much money is being claimed, according to N1 news portal and Dnevnik newspaper.

The media outlets said on Tuesday that the most likely target was Jaša Jenull, one of the most exposed organisers of Friday's anti-government protests, which have been held since the Janez Janša government assumed office in March 2020.

Jenull told N1 and Dnevnik that he had not yet received any notification about the lawsuit.

However, he opined that the authorities were trying to prevent the protests by using financial threats against individual protesters.

Dnevnik said that from EUR 1,000 to EUR 2,000 could be claimed as part of what is said to be the first of several dozen potential lawsuits.

The police told Dnevnik that the cost of policing these protests between May 2020 and November 2021 amounted to more than EUR 1.2 million.

According to N1, the Interior Ministry is thus claiming almost EUR 200,000 as part of over 30 lawsuits.

Meanwhile, the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy, an NGO, said that there was no legal basis for such procedures.

They said that the public assembly act contained a very precise definition of who is considered to be an organiser of a rally, and that no person had publicly declared themselves as such in this case.

"The law also explicitly states that costs should only be reimbursed when the police intervene at public events, not at rallies or assemblies," they told the newspaper Večer.

STA, 4 December 2021 - A group of protesters against government Covid-19 measures and the new bill on additional measures for curbing the epidemic and its consequences gathered in the Ljubljana city centre on Saturday. There were some clashes with police and a few protesters have been detained.

The protesters gathered unannounced in Ljubljana's Republic square at the invitation of the Resni.ca (Truth) party and civil initiatives. The party head, Zoran Stevanović, addressed the protesters, none of whom wore face masks or adhered to the rules on distancing.

Since the rally was unannounced police were at the site, and after three hours they called on the protesters to leave the site but they refused.

Stevanović said they had invited people to a peaceful, loud rebellion in Republic Square and to a festival of freedom.

In his speech at the square, he called for elimination of Covid-19 measures and a new government. He finds attempts at legalising obligatory vaccination unacceptable and also the punishing of the disobedient. Other speakers highlighted the same issues.

After a couple of hours, the rally moved to the Prešeren Square and the old town, accompanied by police.

At around 3pm police stopped the rally in Adjovščina Square, urged protesters to leave the site and stop obstructing traffic.

Protesters clashed with the police in the near-by Miklošičeva Street, where police blocked the road. Some of the protesters have been detained while most left the site at around 3:30pm.

Web portal N1 reported that the Interior Ministry planned to demand a reimbursement of the costs of police protection from the alleged organisers of the rally.

The ministry told N1 that talks were under way with police and the state attorney's office about filing claims for reimbursing the costs of police work at unannounced rallies from the organisers.

The epidemiological situation in the country has been improving but the National Institute of Public Health estimates that there are still over 30,400 active infections in the country, while hospitals are treating over 1,000 patients, including almost 260 in intensive care.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic last spring, the government has sent several anti-Covid bills to parliament, the last one being adopted on 19 November. The latest bill envisages measures worth EUR 180 million to help mitigate the consequences of the epidemic.

STA, 29 October 2021 - Bicycle protesters, who have been protesting against the government every Friday for 80 weeks, gathered for another rally in Ljubljana this evening, this time to address the issues of green infrastructure, green mobility, public transport and housing. The protest's organisers announced another "mass, pan-Slovenian protest" for 12 November.

Some government representatives "attempted to divert attention" from alleged corruptive practices and inability to do their work by focusing on "highly suspicious mail" in the past week, said the organisers, adding that "extremely questionable 'threatening letters', which according to the mail security protocol could not have reached the addressees in the first place, will not prevent people from being justifiably critical of the government's work and expressing their views".

The protesters marched from Republic Square, where they gathered first, to a post office to send letters to Prime Minister Janez Janša and Defence Minister Matej Tonin, noting that the mail did not include death threats but a firm request backed by arguments for resignation and a snap election.

This was in reference to the developments of the past week as a number of coalition officials, including Janša and Tonin, reported receiving death threats via mail, some of them also received a live ammunition round. A special police task force has been tasked with the investigation of these incidents.

The organisers said in a press release that they would send a letter to the police as well, as they believe that there was police repression present at last Friday's protest and the right to protest was restricted. According to the organisers, a number of Friday protesters were ID'd because they were standing in the street where the Culture Ministry building is located.

Today, the protesters called for setting up green infrastructure, building 30,000 non-profit flats by 2030, amending Article 78 of the Constitution to enshrine decent living conditions for all citizens, banning "extortionate rents", and providing more bike lanes.

The organisers announced that on 12 November there will be another "mass, pan-Slovenian protest" to unveil the protesters' guidelines for reforming politics and society and their key demands.

The largest Friday protest to date took place in late May when what is likely to have been tens of thousands of people protested against the government's actions. The rally, dubbed Pan-Slovenian Uprising for Early Election, included various groups and movements and was supported by trade unions and part of the opposition.

STA, 27 October - Protesters against the Covid pass mandate gathered on Wednesday for another rally, this time in several Slovenian cities, including in Ljubljana where the protest was the largest, totalling a few hundred people. The rallies were peaceful.

In the capital, the protesters gathered in Republic Square, their usual starting point, before marching through the streets.

Rallies in Maribor, Celje and Koper meanwhile saw fewer than hundred people.

The participants were again critical of anti-coronavirus restrictions and the government, reiterating their call for an early election.

They believe Slovenian society faces an information censorship, highlighting the importance of freedom of expression. They also disagree with health experts and the government's appeals to get vaccinated.

Calls to take part in the latest Wednesday protests, which were once more unregistered, were again disseminated on Facebook by Maske Dol (Down with Masks), one of the most prominent anti-mask and anti-vax groups on the social media, and the Resni.ca (Truth) party headed by Zoran Ste

STA, 22 October 2021 - Friday's protesters gathering in Ljubljana's city centre demanding the government's resignation and an early election, today raised the issue of pressure on media freedom and the suspension of funding of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) as well as leaked recordings of Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak.

Activist Jaša Jenull stressed that independent journalism must be protected by all means. The protesters presented their demands regarding media freedom and culture, and expressed opposition to "politically motivated repression and dictatorship".

They marched through the city centre holding banners calling for early election and carrying a sculpture of a water cannon, which they said was the only one that was acceptable in the streets.

Jenull and media expert Sandra Bašić Hrvatin noted that the STA had been performing public service without government funding for 295 days. Bašić Hrvatin said that opposing the destruction of the STA meant supporting media freedom, democracy and journalists.

The protesters also pointed to the recording leaked earlier this week in which Vizjak as economy minister urged businessman Bojan Petan to avoid taxes in relation to spa Terme Čatež in 2007. They said that in any other normal democracy, Vizjak would have to step down along with some other ministers.

Since the rally had not been registered in advance, police are providing for the safety, the Ljubljana Police Department told the STA.