“The transfer of the murdered victims from Kočevje to the ossuary in Škofja Loka means that the authorities do not intend to arrange a dignified burial for the victims, but to postpone it indefinitely,” warned Professor Dr Janez Juhant, President of the United at the Linden Tree of Reconciliation Association (Združeni ob Lipi sprave).
In a public letter, Professor Emeritus Dr Janez Juhant, President of the United at the Linden Tree of Reconciliation Association, drew attention to the inadequate treatment of the remains of the victims murdered in the revolution. In his opinion, the transfer of the remains of the murdered victims from Kočevje to the ossuary in Škofja Loka merely means that the authorities do not intend to arrange a dignified burial for the victims, but instead plan to postpone it indefinitely.
Imamo oblast, ki so ji tisočletja stare civilizacijske norme popolnoma tuje! https://t.co/ZEyii3uef4
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The United at the Linden Tree of Reconciliation Association strongly opposes this, because, in their view, it is a trampling of the rights of the victims and their relatives to a personal grave, as well as a disregard of the views of the professional public, associations, etc. The matter must be settled in accordance with the constitutional order and the international documents to which Slovenia is a signatory.
In a letter commenting on the situation, Dr Juhant wrote:
“The transfer of the victims is only a continuation of the agony and traumatisation of the relatives of those murdered during and after the war The transfer of the slain victims from Kočevje to the ossuary in Škofja Loka means that the authorities do not intend to arrange a dignified burial site for the victims, but instead intend to delay this indefinitely. We strongly oppose this, because it is a violation of the rights of the victims and their relatives to a personal grave, as well as the opinions of the professional public, the associations and everyone else, because this is about the right to burial and rehabilitation of the victims once and for all, as provided for in our constitutional order and in the international documents of which Slovenia is a signatory. Such a course of action only prolongs the suffering caused by the revolutionaries and is an obstacle to reconciliation among us, since the state does not respect the democratic principles and rules of international conventions, and does not condemn the horrors of the revolution. The anti-legitimate anonymous transfer is only a postponement of the solution, not a step towards reconciliation and a decent way of life that would “close a painful period of our history”, as the person authorising the transfer, Minister Borut Sajovic, disparaging and arbitrarily wrote. The victims’ relatives remain second-class citizens, there is still a deep abyss between us and the heirs of the revolution, and Slovenia remains a lawless society. Even in the face of a challenging world situation, the competent rulers should do this, as it is a prerequisite for strengthening democracy and the reconciliation processes among us.
Professor Emeritus Dr Janez Juhant, President”
Inappropriate behaviour moves us further away from the desired reconciliation
In the opinion of the members of the Association, inadequate treatment only prolongs the suffering caused by the revolution and is an obstacle to reconciliation, taking us further away from the desired “closure” of a painful period in our common history, leaving the relatives of the victims as second-class citizens and Slovenia as a lawless society.
Domen Mezeg
