/excerpt from AI 2007 yearly report/

The 'erased'

The authorities failed to resolve the problems relating to the so-called "erased", some 18,305 individuals unlawfully removed from the Slovenian registry of permanent residents in 1992. The "erased" were people from other former Yugoslav republics who had been living in Slovenia but had not acquired Slovenian citizenship after Slovenia became independent. The authorities failed to ensure that the "erased" had full access to economic and social rights, including the right to work and access to health care.

Although the Slovenian Constitutional Court had ruled in 1999 and 2003 that the removal of these individuals from the registry of permanent residents was unlawful, approximately one third of the "erased" still did not have Slovenian citizenship or a permanent residence permit. Many were living in Slovenia "illegally" as foreigners or stateless persons; others were forced to leave the country. Those who managed to obtain Slovenian citizenship or permanent residency - often after years of bureaucratic and legal struggle - continued to suffer from the consequences of their past unregulated status and had no access to full reparation, including compensation.

In June, 11 "erased" people filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights claiming that the "erasure" resulted in violations of their rights, including the right to private and family life, the right to be free from inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to freedom of movement, and the right to be free from discrimination.