Slovenia’s Prime Minister, Miro Cerar, is facing impeachment after he was accused of seeking to interfere with the judiciary after voicing support for a Syrian asylum seeker.
The future of Ahmad Shamieh, a 60-year-old man who arrived in Slovenia in 2015, where he learned the language and became an example of successful refugee integration, “has become a key dividing line in the country’s politics”, says The Guardian.
Shamieh faces deportation after losing his request for asylum on the grounds he should make his application in Croatia, his first port of call in the EU after leaving Syria.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, he has become a test case in a country that has received tens of thousands of refugees since the crisis began three years ago.
When pushed for his opinion, Cerar, one of the few liberal leaders in central Europe, said he hoped to find a way to grant Shamieh residence on the grounds of his integration into Slovenian society.
His remarks were seized upon by rightwingers in the Slovenian parliament who claimed the Prime Minister, a former constitutional lawyer, had sought to interfere in the affairs of the independent judiciary.
Cerar’s supporters say the accusation is an attempt to destabilise the government ahead of elections next year and are confident the Prime Minister has enough support in parliament to survive an impeachment vote.
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Elon Musk’s pivot from Mars to the moonIn the Spotlight SpaceX shifts focus with IPO approaching
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
