R E S P O N S E - 9 7
The Hour of European Truth for Slovenia

Ironically, the vote was taken on the World Human Rights Day, December 10, 1997. On that day, the State Assembly (Parliament) of the Republic of Slovenia rejected by two votes the proposal for a Resolution on the unlawful activity of the Communist totalitarian regime in Slovenia.
Evidently the party in power is not prepared to disturb the status quo by righting the injustices of the 45 years of Communist rule. Although it is well known that this regime was responsible for multiple infringement of human rights, the Parliament has affirmed continuity with the former regime and blocked Slovenian democratic development by the 44 to 42 vote. This vote will prolong control of all the wealth in Slovenia by the former Communists and thus ensure more victories in democratic elections.
In spring of 1997, in the publication The Hour of European Truth for Slovenia, we the co-signers, warned of the need to break with the totalitarian system. We also cited that, in a nation of barely 2,000,000 people, the Communist rulers have caused quite a devastation:

executed without any court procedures more than 10,000 people,
submitted to political trials 28,000 citizens,
expropriated property of 200,000 families,
systematically infringed human rights and basic freedoms,
deprived citizens of the possibility of freely expressing their political will,
forced citizens to give public approbation to lies and crimes,
breached the basic tenets of legal state and of international agreements,
abused their own laws, and
set up a parallel legal system - through acts published in a secret Official Gazette - by means of which the activities of the Communist Party members were placed above the laws of the State.

This recent decision by the Parliament strongly confirms that a part of Slovenian society and the majority of Parliament is neither prepared nor able to confront the above facts and rectify the injustices. Instead, property has been transferred to the personal ownership of the former Communist ruling class. These same people -- with the aid of media - continue to maintain overall control over public life.
Indeed, the vituperative reaction of the media to The Hour of European Truth, and to the proposed Resolution on the unlawful activity of the Communist totalitarian regime in Slovenia, the concealment from the nation of the Council of Europe Resolution 1096, and persistent inadequate and biased reporting of the Parliamentary debates, together reveal that in Slovenia we are every day coming closer to the complete rule of those who would like to ensure the continuity of the former totalitarian structure.
For the above reasons, we the co-signers, in accordance with these findings and in keeping with Council of Europe Resolution 1096 on measures for dismantling remnants of the former totalitarian regimes

DEMAND

that the members of the Parliament of the Republic of Slovenia resolutely and in words of utter clarity condemn the activities of the Communist totalitarian regime in Slovenia and thereby clearly draw the dividing line between democracy and totalitarianism.

AUTHORS AND CO-SIGNERS OF The Hour of European Truth for Slovenia :

Drago Jancar, writer, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Dr. Angelos Bas, ethnologist
Aleš Berger, translator and editor
Janez Bernik, painter, full professor, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Viktor Blazic, journalist
Dr. Katarina Bogataj Gradišnik, translator
Dr. France Bucar, full professor, president of the First Slovenian Parliament (1990-1992)
Drago Demšar, M.A., lawyer
Dr. Stane Gabrovec, full professor, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Dr. Kajetan Gantar, full professor, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Janez Gradišnik, writer and translator
Niko Grafenauer, poet and chief editor of Nova revija
Andrei Hieng, writer, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Dr. Andrej Inkret, full professor
Dr. Milcek Komelj, full professor
Lojze Kovacic, writer, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Dr. Edvard Kovac, full professor
Lojze Lebic, composer, full professor, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Dr. Joza Mahnic, president of Slovenian Literary Society
Dr. Saša Markovic, doctor of medicine Janez Pogacnik, M.A., parish priest
Dr. Joze Pucnik, full professor, president of the first coalition of democratic parties DEMOS (1989-1991)
Dr. Primoz Simoniti, full professor
Jaroslav Skrucny, translator and editor
Joze Snoj, poet and writer
Rudi Seligo, M.A., writer
Dr. Alojz Suštar, retired archibishop of Ljubljana and Slovenian metropolitan
Drago Tršar, sculptor, full professor, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Dr. Ivan Urbancic, philosoplier
Dane Zajc, poet, member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Aleksander Zorn, editor