Slovenian Disability Rights Association

Slovenian Disability Rights Association (Slovenian: Društvo za pravice invalidov Slovenije, or Drupis) is a disability rights organization in Slovenia. Its goals are to enhance the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to assist persons with disabilities through awareness raising and impact litigation. Drupis was founded in 2012.[1]

Slovenian Disability Rights Association
AbbreviationDrupis
Formation2012 (2012)
TypeNon-profit
HeadquartersLjubljana, Slovenia
President
Sebastjan Kamenik
Websitewww.drupis.si

Sebastjan Kamenik serves as the president of the Association.[2]

Policy Advocacy

The Association participated in disability rights procedures at the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court of Slovenia. In 2014, the Constitutional Court ruled that all polling places in elections should be accessible for the disabled.[3] Together with a group of disabled persons, In 2016, Drupis initiated another procedure claiming that the new legislation was still not in line with the Convention.[4] In February 2019, the Constitutional Court decided to rule on the matter with "an absolute urgency".[5] As of January 2020, the court has not yet issued a judgment.

In months preceding the European Parliament elections of 2019, the Association argued in favor of voting rights of persons with intellectual disabilities.[6] The Constitutional Court rejected the appeal lodged by the Association and a voter.[7] Slovenian Disability Rights Association has filed an Amicus Curiae brief in Toplak v. Slovenia and Mrak v. Slovenia cases, which are currently pending with the European Court of Human Rights.[2] The cases aim at a ruling which would require all polling places in Europe be accessible.[2]

Drupis is active in a Council of Europe procedure of execution of the judgment Produkcija Plus v. Slovenia, in which the European Court of Human Rights found that lack of public hearings in some Slovenian courts violates rights of the petitioners.[8] Drupis sent its proposals co-signed by six university professors of the University of Primorska, University of Maribor, Alma Mater Europaea, and Nova University.[9] The Slovenian authorities responded to the proposal with an action plan. The matter has not yet been decided by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers and the case is pending.[8]

In November 2019, the Association initiated a class action procedure against Slovenia.[10] It claimed that elections, polling stations, and voting procedures had not been accessible. It requested a compensation of 3000 Euros for each discriminated person.[10] Drupis also submitted a third party intervention in the European Court of Human Rights cases Toplak against Slovenia and Mrak against Slovenia.[10] In January 2020, the Court communicated the cases with the government of Slovenia.[11] The case is ongoing.

References
  1. "Bizi.si: Društvo za pravice invalidov Slovenije". Bizi.si: Društvo za pravice invalidov Slovenije. bizi.si.
  2. O'Brien, Bennett. "Top European Court to Rule on Making All Polling Stations Accessible in Europe". Pushliving.com. PushLiving. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. "Odločitve US". odlocitve.us-rs.si. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  4. "Odločitve US". odlocitve.us-rs.si. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  5. "Ustavno sodišče absolutno prednostno o zagotavljanju dostopnosti volitev invalidom". Dnevnik (Slovenia). Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  6. "Za vrnitev volilne pravice osebam z intelektualno oviranostjo". maribor24.si (in Slovenian). 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  7. "Odločitve US". odlocitve.us-rs.si. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  8. "HUDOC-EXEC". hudoc.exec.coe.int. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  9. "Večer - S šestimi doktorji prava podprto pismo iz Slovenije v Strasbourg: Pravično sojenje z javno obravnavo še vedno ni redna praksa!". www.vecer.com (in Slovenian). 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  10. "STA: Disabled take Slovenia to Human Rights Court over polling stations accessibility". english.sta.si. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  11. "HUDOC - European Court of Human Rights". hudoc.echr.coe.int. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
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