Slovenes only

last updated 8 January 2015

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Slovenes voted overwhelmingly this week to refuse to restore residency to thousands of ethnic Bosnians, Serbs, and Croats who lost their citizenship when Slovenia broke away from Yugoslavia, in 1991. A stunning 95 percent of voters rejected a proposal to recognize the 18,000 people, who are known as “the erased” because their existence was wiped from state records. Parliament recently passed a law granting them some rights, but the referendum results will overturn it. “This is a sign of growing xenophobia and racism,” said human-rights activist Boris Novak. “It is not only a disgrace, but a dangerous wave that can spread to other issues and other minorities.”