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HELSINKI MONITOR OF SLOVENIA
Human Rights problems in
Slovenia
STATEMENT NO. 7 Execution of 211 Roma Dogs
A report of the Novo mesto extension of the Veterinary Institute of Slovenia (Veterinarski zavod Slovenije - VZS) dated 19.7.1999, confirms that an action of execution of 211 Roma dogs has been carried out in exclusively Roma settlements on “the wider territory of the Dolenjska and Bela Krajina” regions from13.7. - 15-7-1999. The Veterinary Institute carried out the task requested by the Veterinary Inspectorate of the Veterinary Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (Veterinarska uprava Republike Slovenije - VURS). The report states that the action was carried out by “veterinary hygenists from the entire Slovenia ... assisted by the police, the Veterinary Inspectorate and memmbers of the Hunters Society of the Dolenjska. According to the report the hunters were shooting dogs which ran out of the Roma settlements”, reportedly “from a safety distance”. The report claims that the unvaccinated dogs have been executed. The report further states, that 60% of the Roma agreed to the action. Thus 40% have not agreed to killings of their dogs, but nevertheless the inspectorate executed their dogs. The inspection of the dead dogs has established, that the dogs have not been well kept and that they had parasites. An official, a veterinary of the Veterinary Institute of Slovenia, who signed the report, suggests “a similar action to be repeated, because a greater number of dogs succeded to escape.” Televison informed the public about excesses of the action, therefore we have asked the following officials for more information: deputy director of the Veterinary Administration of the Republic of Slovenia, deputy director of the Hunters Association of Slovenia, deputy commander of the police Station Novo mesto and an official of the Town Community of Novo mesto, who deals with the Roma question. They have mainly evaded the answers. It was admitted that the dead dogs were taken over by the firm Koto to be ground into fodder flour for chicken and pigs (how would that be commented by the sanitary inspection and the association of consumers?) The action was decided because “the number of dogs had increased, a danger of infection existed, since the dogs have not been vaccinated in the majority of cases. Aside of that the dogs have not been well kept and supposedly some Roma torture the dogs brutally and eat them”. The police confirmed that the armed police assistence is given to veterinary actions only in the case of the Roma - they do not assist such actions in other cases. The police assisted the action because VURS, who gave orders for the violent action, were afraid, that the veterinary hygienists could be endangered by the owners of the dogs. There was no clear answer to question, whether the police verifies legal justification of the demands of state organs for police assistence. A Helsinki Monitor member and a coworker visited Roma settlements in the vicinity of Novo mesto. The Roma confirmed that the Veterinary Inspectorate and the Veterinary Institute of the Republic of Slovenia exerted violence in the settlements, which, aside of its hygienic goals, bears a dimension of intimidation of the Roma, their ethnic discrimination, endangering life and security in the settlements with ilegal use of weapons. The Roma told us, that the police drove to their settlements three times per day together with armed hunters and veterinary technicians equiped with special loops and rifles for stupefaction and killing the animals. The functioners of VURS and VZS drove in the Roma settlements as well. The hunters started to shoot dogs in the settlements in the presence of children, the veterinary hygiensts were catching dogs with loops, shooting them with rifles for stupefaction. They were pulling the little dogs from children’s arms and were stinging them with eutanasia injections in the presence of children. The dogs were squirming, twitching, barking, the children were screaming with terror and crying, while their parents were asking the executors of the action in vain not to do that, at least not in the presence of the children. While shooting with rifles for stupefaction, they shot one Roma member in his shoe by the heal, while another hunter, through a closed window, shot a bitch which was lying on the bed and which always slept with the children. Some vaccinated dogs were shot as well. A Roma told us that the hunters shot his dog to which the family was attached very much. The dog was 9 years old, as his grandson, they grew together. No reasurement of his readiness to pay for the vaccination, helped. The dog was taken by force and the Roma family had to look how they were killing him. They were also killing cats for which vaccination is not obligatory. The dead animals were thrown on a heap and taken away by a lorry. By shooting in settlements the hunters performed a penal act of endangering lives and security of the Roma, of which the helpless parents of children were warning them all the time. We appeal the State Prosecutor to raise denouncemnet against the hunters of the Hunters Society Novo mesto. The activity of the hygienic technicians was also ilegal, as the law for such cases provides only issuing a decree on obligatory vaccination and fine for omission of vaccination. The law does not demand execution of unvaccinated animal on the owner’s backyard in the presence of the owner and members of family. The Veterinary Administration of the Republic of Slovenia performed the action of execution of 211 dogs on a wider territory of Slovenia in exclusively Roma settlements, therefore we appel to the Ministry of Agriculture to take the responsibility for the action. It is well known that there are stray dogs all over Slovenia, especially around bigger towns, mostly during the holiday period when also some blameless, refined citizens take leave and at that time discard their domestic animals. The slaughter of 211 Roma dogs is by all means widely opening the question of ethnic discrimination and intimidation of the Roma by the authorities, while Slovenia accepted its responsibilities towards the Roma, set by the Council of Europe as a measure of a special protection of this European minority. The described manner of killing of 211 Roma dogs points also to deficient standards of treatment of animals, to the question of asylums for animals, which are only two in Slovenia. This is a wider social question which is in public interest. Therefore it is not possible to leave such burden to a few societies for protection of animals, which do not receive any public funding. The case of killing of
211 Roma dogs opens the most accute question of respecting standards of
treatment of people, as well as animals, since the lives of people and
animals are intertwinning. This question needs to be solved for accession
to European Union.
PRESIDENT Neva Miklavèiè
Predan
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