Several Slovenian judges and a prosecutor have been targeted in posts on X following a recent arson attack on a judge's home in the eastern town of Brežice. As efforts are under way to track down the perpetrators, officials have expressed concern and condemnation.

One of the posts featured a list of four judges and a prosecutor with their alleged home addresses, followed by comment "First-rate villas burn first rate" and "Misjustice deserves DEATH".

Another X user posted a photoshopped image of Branko Masleša, the former president of the Supreme Court and one of the judges targeted in the other post, with a gun shot wound in his forehead.

As pointed out by Justice Minister Andreja Katič, the judges and the prosecutor mentioned in the posts were in the past all involved in a high-profile case against Janez Janša, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party (SDS).

The posts appeared online just days after an arson destroyed the new house of the president of the Brežice local court, causing about €250,000 in damage. It is not yet clear whether the attack was related to his work or not.

Both that attack and the posts against the judges have been condemned in the strongest terms by the country's top political and justice officials as well as by the associations of judges and state prosecutors.

Condemnation from across the board

Supreme Court President Miodrag Đorđević said the incidents were cause for concern and dangerous. "This is an unacceptable threat to the safety of judges and their property as well as the safety of their families," he said.

"Some people insist on undermining trust in judges, their decisions and the legal system, they create unrest and poison the society," Đorđević said, adding this was a problem for society as a whole. "We have to ask ourselves whether we will have the rule of law, or mob rule will prevail," he said.

Saying that such threats have no place in a democratic society, President Nataša Pirc Musar called on everyone to be conscious of the impact of their words and actions, and Justice Minister Katič urged the leaders of all political parties to explain to their supporters that incitement to violence is unacceptable.

"Intolerant communication contributes to an environment where such attacks are more frequent. It is crucial that politicians take responsibility for their communication and actively contribute to calming the tensions and promoting a respectful dialogue," Pirc Musar said, noting that independence and protection of the judiciary system is crucial for the rule of law and democracy.

Prime Minister Robert Golob said the situation escalated too much. "The fact that the safety of judges and their families are threatened so directly is unacceptable," he said, promising the government would honour its commitment to normalise society, and enhance security and the rule of law.

He called on politicians to abstain from any attacks on the rule of law. "That is the line we must never cross if we want to stay a democratic and civilised society," he said.

The threats have also been condemned by political parties across the aisle, but while some members of the ruling coalition suggested the SDS was responsible, both the party and its leader Janša denied having anything to do with the posts with Janša calling the suggestion absurd.

"Threats of violence are unacceptable but the left transitional quasi-elite only finds it problematic when someone threatens them but if someone threatens us, everything is okay and it is even encouraged," Janša said in an interview with the Catholic Radio Ognjišče on 13 November, referring to past protest poster slogans calling for "death to Janšism".

Action taken to track down the perpetrators

The Supreme Court has taken action to remove the hateful posts from X, notifying the police and prosecution, while drawing up a complaint for privacy breach to lodge with the Information Commissioner.

Meanwhile, the Agency for Telecommunication Networks and Services has notified the European Commission, which is competent for supervision of large online platforms.

The case is receiving the highest level of attention from the police, who are actively working to identify the perpetrator and to guarantee safety to the victims.

The police say there are grounds to suspect that a criminal act of public incitement to hatred, violence or intolerance has been committed, which carries up to two years in prison, while revenge against an official carries a prison sentence of up to five years.

Judges linked to Patria case

The judges and the prosecutor mentioned in the posts on X were taken to court by Janša in 2018, when he brought a damages suit against them and the state over the Patria defence corruption trial, arguing they acted unlawfully.

Janša was sentenced to prison before the 2014 general election for allegedly accepting the promise of a bribe over a 2006 tender won by Finnish defence contractor Patria. The conviction was later quashed by the Constitutional Court.

While Janša's lawsuit against the state is still ongoing, he lost his case against the judges and the prosecutor and the Maribor Higher Court recently ordered him to pay €30,000 to reimburse them for litigation costs.

To raise the money to pay the costs Janša has mounted an online auction of several items, including the uniform he wore when he served as defence minister in the 1990s during the war of independence.