Slovenian Human Rights Ombudsman intervenes on burial rights

Slovenian Human Rights Ombudsman Simona Drenik Bavdek has issued interventions regarding the dignity and rights of the deceased in two distinct cases.

In Nova Gorica, the Ombudsman ruled that municipal regulations mandating cremation for funerals financed by the municipality infringe upon an individual's right to choose their method of burial. The Ombudsman stated that municipal financial management and spatial constraints do not justify overriding a person's expressed will, noting that such rules violate constitutional rights to personal dignity. Following the municipality's failure to address these concerns, the Ombudsman has recommended legislative changes to the National Assembly to ensure deceased persons' wishes are respected regardless of who finances the funeral.

Separately, the Ombudsman submitted an intervention to the Constitutional Court regarding the burial of victims of war and post-war violence. This concerns a legal dispute between the state and the Municipality of Ljubljana over the transfer and burial of victims from hidden war graves to the Žale cemetery. Drenik Bavdek emphasized that this issue transcends jurisdictional disputes, focusing instead on the human rights of victims and their aging relatives who have waited decades for closure.