"I Never Meant to Squeeze the Trigger"

The Trial Against Ivan Bovha and Other Legal Proceedings Pertaining to Riots During a Visit to Celje by Czech High School Students in 1899

Authors

  • Bojan Cvelfar

Keywords:

political history, criminal law, riots, Celje, Slovenes, Germans

Abstract

During a visit by Czech high school students to Celje in the summer of 1899, two shootings occurred in the town in addition to the numerous riots. In both cases, a Slovene pulled the trigger and the victims were Germans. The case of Ivan Bovha, who shot journeyman Julius Grabitsch, elicited the greatest response amongst the public and deepened the conflict between the Germans and the Slovenes in Celje even further. After being held in detention for a considerable period of time, the accused, Ivan Bovha, was released upon trial when the court ruled it had been a case of justified selfdefence. This was greeted as a moral victory by the Slovene camp. The case stirred up a torrent of discussion on the partiality or impartiality of the Celje police and the influence of national politics on the judicial system

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Published

2025-07-01

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (1996)

Section

Prispevki

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