Displaying items by tag: Slovakia

In December 2022, Slovakia’s former prime minister Robert Fico was facing numerous criminal charges which, if proven, would have seen the populist firebrand put behind bars. However, the charges were dropped, and in an election which observers say was fuelled by hate speech and pro-Kremlin conspiracy theories, he was returned to power last September. His government’s aggressive stance towards the LGBTQ+ community and other minorities has made many of those groups fearful of what the future holds. For this and other reasons, there is a considerable ‘brain drain’, especially of young people, to the Czech Republic. Also, over the border, Ukrainians are conscious of his promise to block EU sanctions against Russia and veto its package of military support for Kyiv.

For the second Friday running thousands of people protested across Slovakia against their government’s handling of a journalist’s murder and an end to high-level corruption, as talks between the country’s leaders failed to end a spiraling crisis that began in February. Slovakia’s cabinet is dogged by allegations of corruption and incompetence, and when investigative reporter Jan Kuciak was about to publish an article revealing links between senior Slovak political figures and Italy’s Ndrangheta mafia group he and his girlfriend were murdered. Slovak president Andrej Kiska, opposition parties and members of the ruling coalition are urging populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to call elections or overhaul the cabinet. He rejected the demands and accused Mr Kiska of conspiring with a liberal philanthropist to launch a ‘coup’ in Slovakia with the help of opposition leaders and national media outlets that are critical of the government. See  http://www.prayer-alert.net/europe-pa-site/item/10365-slovakia-press-freedom

Transparency International reported, ‘Unfortunately this week we were reminded again of the terrible risks facing journalists who report on corruption. Ján Kuciak, a Slovakian investigative journalist, and his fiancée were shot dead in their home. Ján had been investigating Mafia activity in Slovakia - including suspected links to the highest levels of the Slovak government. Police confirmed that his murder was most likely linked to his investigative work.’ This delved into the Slovakian ‘Ndrangheta Mafia, one of the world’s most powerful and fearsome criminal groups, which holds a dominant position in Europe’s cocaine market and many other criminal fields, including weapons trafficking, fraud, corruption, intimidation, and extortion. One in five of the journalists killed since 2012 were covering a corruption story. Research reveals that countries with the least protection for press and activists also have the worst rates of corruption. Progress against corruption globally is stalling.