Evropska komisija
Predsednica Evropske komisije – Ursula von der Leyen

Spoštovana predsednica Evropske komisije gospa Ursula von der Leyen,

pred kratkim smo bili v Evropskem parlamentu priča razpravi na temo svobode govora in svobode medijev v Sloveniji, na Poljskem in na Madžarskem. Uvodoma želimo poudariti, da je za nas vsaka razprava, v kateri se iščeta resnica in pravica, dobrodošla.

V Odboru 2015 nismo presenečeni nad razpravo, ki jo je v Evropskem parlamentu sprožila skrajna levica iz Slovenije in Evrope, smo pa bili presenečeni nad razpravo slovenskih evroposlank Irene Joveve in Tanje Fajon, slednja je v Sloveniji predsednica politične stranke Socialni demokrati (bivši komunisti v Sloveniji). Presenečeni smo bili, da je ravno gospa Fajon s svojim nastopom želela prikazati Slovenijo kot članico Evropske unije, kjer svoboda govora ni zajamčena in kjer so nekateri novinarji ter medijske hiše pod pritiski trenutne Vlade.

Razprava na temo svobode govora in pritiskov na medije je v Evropskem parlamentu potekala v letu 2021, to je v istem letu, ko je evropska poslanka Tanja Fajon v vlogi predsednice politične stranke Socialni demokrati preprečila vstop snemalcu medijske hiše Nova24TV v prostore, kjer je potekala novinarska konferenca njihove politične stranke. Dogodek so obsodili v obeh novinarskih združenjih. V Združenju novinarjev in publicistov so zapisali, da tako omejevanje grobo posega v svobodo dela medijev. Dodali so, da je to posebej nerazumljivo s strani stranke, ki dnevno opozarja na domnevne pritiske na delo medijev v Sloveniji. Napovedali so, da bodo o tem obvestili tudi Evropski parlament. V Društvu novinarjev Slovenije kakršnokoli omejevanje dostopa do javnih izjav in novinarskih konferenc, sklicanih za medije, ocenjujejo za nesprejemljivo. V društvu pričakujejo, da stranka spremljanje izjav omogoči vsem predstavnikom javnosti. Tanja Fajon je tudi ena izmed tistih evropskih poslank in predsednica politične stranke, ki ima v slovenskem tožilstvu in pravosodju neposredno velik vpliv, na kar kažejo nekateri primeri političnega preganjanja nasprotnikov Tanje Fajon preko sodne veje oblasti.

Zgolj za v seznanitev in vaš boljši vpogled v dejansko dogajanje v Sloveniji, navajamo primer Franca Kanglerja, ki je bil dolgoletni član Slovenske ljudske stranke, od leta 1996 do leta 2007 je bil član slovenskega parlamenta. Leta 2006 je bil izvoljen za župana, kjer je v Mariboru, ki je drugo največje slovensko mesto, premagal kandidata Fajonove stranke Borisa Soviča. Maščevanje zaradi političnega poraza je hitro steklo, saj so zoper Franca Kanglerja sprocesirali kar 24 kazenskih ovadb in 1 pravdno zadevo, pri čemer jim je pomagal mariborski sodnik Janez Žirovnik, ki je med drugimi bivši agent Službe državne varnosti Jugoslavije (SDV SFRJ). Z navedenim sodnikom je bil Franc Kangler kot slovenski poslanec in nadzornik obveščevalno-varnostnih služb v slovenskem parlamentu, v neposrednem konfliktu, ki se je odražal na različnih delovnih telesih v slovenskem parlamentu. Žirovnik je leta 2007 postal sodnik na Okrožnem sodišču v Mariboru, kjer je zoper Franca Kanglerja izdal več kot 10 sodnih odredb. Franc Kangler je vse sodne postopke, razen enega, ki je še v teku, zanj ugodno zaključil. Leta 2019 je Franc Kangler kandidiral za evropskega poslanca na kandidatni listi SDS-SLS. Evropska poslanka Tanja Fajon se je kot predsednica politične stranke Socialni demokrati (bivši komunisti) v mesecu maju 2019 udeležila predvolilnega strankarskega shoda, kjer sta ji družbo delala dva sodnika g. Štok in g. Gazvoda, oba iz Okrožnega sodišča v Mariboru. Kot zanimivost dodamo še to, da sta omenjena sodnika v zadevah Franc Kangler odrejala različne kazenske odredbe.

Da je Slovenija daleč od pravne države in države, ki bi zagotavljala temeljne človekove pravice dokazujejo besede sodnika, ki je v sodbi napisal, da nekoga obsoja le zato, da mu onemogoči politično delovanje. To si je v primeru Franca Kanglerja privoščil sodnik dr. Boštjan Polegek, ki je v sodni dvorani dne 7. 7. 2014 izrekel naslednje besede: »Že, že, da Kangler dela na kmetiji, ampak predstavlja resno nevarnost, da se vrne v politično življenje – mora v zapor! Šele pravnomočna obsodba ga je odvrnila od političnega življenja!«

Spoštovana predsednica komisije javno vas sprašujemo ali je to za vas vladavina prava?

Kako komentirate dejstvo, da v Sloveniji politična stranka Socialni demokrati z evropsko poslanko Tanjo Fajon na čelu globoko krši človekove pravice in temeljne svoboščine in ne obsoja političnega opredeljevanja sodnikov, omenjeno celo dopušča in podpira? Politična stranka Socialni demokrati dopušča in podpira, da je lahko bivši agent Službe državne varnosti Jugoslavije (SDV SFRJ) izvoljen za sodnika na Okrožnem sodišču v Mariboru. Iz priložene slike je jasno razvidno, da ima politična stranka Tanje Fajon velik politični vpliv na sodno vejo oblasti. Da naše navedbe držijo prilagamo prevedeno pismo mariborskega tožilca Nika Pušnika, ki ga je naslovil na slovenski parlament. V pismu je leta 2019 zapisal, da je pod velikimi pritiski takratne aktualne politike, katere del so bili tudi Socialni demokrati Tanje Fajon. V nadaljevanju navajamo citat iz njegovega pisma: »Ali če hočete konkretno, na mene kot tožilca v zadevah Kangler, se je izvajal in se še izvaja pritisk z zavržnimi »udbovskimi metodami«. To je sramota za Slovenijo, to je sramota za slovensko pravosodje in je sramota za tožilsko organizacijo. Enkrat je pač vsega dovolj in enkrat pač »maske morajo pasti z obrazov« in zadevam je potrebno reči bobu-bob. Pri tej izjavi vztrajam, pa čeprav bo obveščevalno-tožilska naveza poslala nekoga na Pohorje, da me fizično utiša…«.

V Sloveniji se je na volitvah leta 2014 zrežirala afera »Patria«, kjer so brez vsakršnega dokaza obsodili takratnega predsednika opozicijske stranke SDS Janeza Janšo ter mu s tem posledično onemogočili zmago na volitvah. Razpolagamo z informacijo, da je takratni predsednik Vrhovnega sodišča Republike Slovenije Branko Masleša mimo vrstnega reda dodelil zadevo »Patria« drugi sodnici, kar je bilo nezakonito. Na nedopustnost tega ravnanja je predsednika Vrhovnega sodišča opozorila uslužbenka, ki je kasneje zaradi strahu pred maščevanjem zapustila Slovenijo in odšla v tujino. Je to za vas vladavina prava, katero podpira politična stranka Socialni demokrati (bivši komunisti Slovenije) s Tanjo Fajon na čelu? Ali je v današnjem času znotraj Evropske unije dopustno, da bivši agentje Službe državne varnosti Jugoslavije postanejo sodniki in sodijo ter odločajo o ljudeh s katerimi so bili 11 let v konfliktu, kot se je to zgodilo v zadevi bivšega mariborskega župana Franca Kanglerja?

Spoštovana predsednica komisije. Pridružujemo se povabilu, da obiščete Slovenijo in se neposredno prepričate o vladavini prava ter svobodi govora v Sloveniji. Pričakujemo, da bo v Evropskem parlamentu sprožena razprava o vladavini prava v Sloveniji, na kateri si želimo sodelovati in razpravljati, saj bi želeli evropske poslance neposredno z dokazi in listinami seznaniti z dejanskim stanjem na področju vladavine prava, ki se že več let dogaja v Sloveniji.

ZA človekove pravice!

ODBOR 2015

Željko VOGRIN, predsednik

Prilogi:

- fotografija predvolilnega shoda politične stranke Socialni demokrati z evropskima poslancema Tanjo Fajon in Milanom Brglezom ter z dvema mariborskima sodnikoma.

- prevedeno pismo tožilca Nika Pušnika.

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President of the European Commission

Dear Madam Ursula von der Leyen

European Commission

Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 200

1049 Brussels Belgium

Dear Madam President Ursula von der Leyen!

We recently witnessed a debate in the European Parliament on the topic of freedom of speech and freedom of the media in Slovenia, Poland and Hungary. At the outset, we would like to emphasize that, for us, any debate that seeks the truth and justice is welcome.

We, the members of The 2015 Committee for Human Rights, were not surprised by the debate initiated by the Slovenian and European far left in the European Parliament, but we were surprised by the debates by the two Slovenian MEPs, Irena Joveva and Tanja Fajon, the latter having been president of the Slovenian Social Democrats (SDP, former Communist Party of Slovenia). We were surprised that Ms. Fajon, in particular, wanted to present Slovenia as a member of the European Union where freedom of speech is not guaranteed and where some journalists and media houses are under pressure from the current government.

The debate on the freedom of speech and pressure on the media took place in the European Parliament in 2021, in the same year when MEP Tanja Fajon in her role as president of the Social Democrats prevented a Nova24TV cameraman from entering the premises where conference of their political party took place. The incident was condemned by both Slovenian journalist associations. The Association of Journalists and Publicists wrote in its statement that such a restriction gravely interferes with the freedom of the media, adding that this is especially incomprehensible coming from a political party that points out on a daily basis, the alleged pressures on the work of the media in Slovenia and had announced that they would also bring it up at the European Parliament. The Slovenian Journalists' Association considers any restriction of access to public statements and press conferences convened for the media, to be unacceptable and expects the party to allow all members of the public access public announcements.

Dear Madam President of the European Commission, it is Ms. Tanja Fajon, a Slovenian MEP, the president of the political party SDP who has a direct influence on the Slovenian prosecutor's office and judiciary that can be observed in cases of political persecution of her opponents through the judiciary. For a better insight into the actual events in Slovenia, we would like to bring to your attention the example of the prosecution of Mr. Franc Kangler, a long-time member of the Slovenian People's Party and a member of the Slovenian Parliament from 1996 to 2007.

In 2006, Mr. Franc Kangler was elected mayor of Maribor, Slovenia's second largest city, where he defeated Fajon's party candidate Boris Sovič. Revenge for the political defeat quickly followed; 24 criminal charges and 1 lawsuit were filed against Franc Kangler, all with the assistance of the Maribor judge Janez Žirovnik, a former agent of the Yugoslav State Security Service (SDV SFRJ). As a member of the Slovenian parliament and a member of the parliamentarian Committee for the Supervision of Intelligence and Security Services, Franc Kangler was in direct dispute with the above-mentioned judge, as was evident in various working bodies in the Slovene parliament. In 2007, Žirovnik became a judge in the District Court in Maribor, where he issued more than 10 court orders against Franc Kangler. All court proceedings against Franc Kangler concluded favourably for him, except for one that is still pending.

In 2019, Franc Kangler ran for MEP on the combined candidates’ list of the Slovenian democratic Party (SDS) and the Slovenian People’s Party (SLS). In May 2019, Tanja Fajon MEP, as president of the Social Democrats (former communists), attended a pre-election party rally, where she was accompanied by two judges, Mr. Štok and Mr. Gazvoda, both from the District Court in Maribor. It is interesting to note that these aforementioned judges had issued various criminal orders in the cases against Franc Kangler.

That Slovenia is still very far from a state governed by the rule of law and a state that guarantees the protection of fundamental human rights has been more than proved by a statement of a judge who wrote it in a verdict saying that he convicts someone only to prevent him from re-entering politics. Namely, Judge Dr. Boštjan Polegek afforded himself to say the following in courtroom on July 7, 2014 “We all know that Franc Kangler is a farmer, but there is a serious danger that he will re-enter politics – he must go to jail! Only a final conviction will distract him from politics.”

Dear Madam President of the Commission, we ask you publicly, is this the rule of law? How do you comment on the fact that the Slovenian Social Democratic Party (SDP) led by Tanja Fajon, a member of the European Parliament, gravely violates human rights and fundamental freedoms and that she does not condemn the political affiliation of judges but rather allows and supports it? The fact is, SDP allows and supports situations where a former agent of the State Security Service of Yugoslavia (SDV SFRJ) can be elected as judge at the District Court of Maribor. It is quite clear from the attached photo that Tanja Fajon's political party has a great political influence on the judiciary. To further support our statements, we enclose a translated letter from the Maribor prosecutor Mr. Niko Pušnik, which he addressed to the Slovenian Parliament in 2019, in which he stated that he was under great pressure from the then politicians, including Tanja Fajon’s SDP. The following is a quote from his letter: “Or, to be specific, as a prosecutor in the Kangler cases I have been continuously under pressure by the despicable “Udba [former Yugoslav Communist State Security Service] methods”. This is shameful for Slovenia; it is a shame for the Slovenian judiciary and it is a shame for the prosecutor's office. Enough is enough, the "masks must fall off the faces" and things need to be named with their proper names. I stand by this statement, even though I risk that the intelligence-prosecuting connection will send someone to Pohorje to physically silence me…”

In the 2014 elections, the "Patria" affair was staged in Slovenia, where the then president of the opposition SDS party, Mr. Janez Janša, was convicted without any evidence, and consequently this prevented him and his party from winning the elections. We possess information that the then President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Branko Masleša, allocated the "Patria" case to another judge disregarding the regular assignment system. This was illegal. The inadmissibility of this conduct was pointed out to the President of the Supreme Court by an employee who later left Slovenia for fear of retaliation. Is this the rule of law? The rule of law that is supported by the Social Democrats (former communists of Slovenia) led by Tanja Fajon? Is it permissible nowadays in the European Union that former agents of the Yugoslav State Security Service can become judges who pass judgement on people with whom they have been in conflict for eleven years, as has happened in the case of former Maribor mayor Franc Kangler?

Dear Madame President of the Commission, we support the invitation of our Government for you to visit Slovenia and see for yourself the state of the rule of law and freedom of speech in Slovenia. We expect that the European Parliament will launch a debate on the rule of law in Slovenia, in which we wish to participate and discuss, as we would like to inform MEPs directly with evidence and documents about the true situation regarding the rule of law in our country.

FOR human rights!

Željko VOGRIN

President of the Committee 2015

Attachments:

- a photo of the pre-election rally of the Social Democrats (SDP) with MEPs Tanja Fajon, Milan Brglez and two judges from Maribor.

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