"Mr. Fico, people can see what you are doing!": large-scale anti-government protests in Slovakia
Kyiv • UNN
Protests have once again taken place in Slovakia, targeting the government of Robert Fico. The demonstrations are against the planned abolition of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and against the reduction of penalties for financial crimes. The EU also has concerns about the rule of law in Slovakia.
Slovakian Prime Minister-elect Robert Fico plans to reform the criminal law and judicial system based on the Hungarian model. Many people in the country disagree with the government's package of laws: rallies were held in 24 cities across the country, including 26,000 people in Bratislava.
This was reported by UNN with reference to the online portal Aktuality and the publication Denník N.
Details
Thousands of people are once again taking to the streets - demonstrations against the actions of the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was elected last year, have taken place in the capital Bratislava and in all other major cities of Slovakia. According to the moderator of the protest in Bratislava, Kristina Tormova, on Thursday, January 18, protests took place in 24 cities in Slovakia.
Among them: Bratislava, Košice, Nitra, Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Trencin, Prešov, Trnava, Považská Bystrica, Piestany, and other cities. It is noted that more than 26 thousand people joined the rally in the capital.
According to the Slovak media, the demonstrators are protesting against a package of criminal laws and plans to liquidate the Special Prosecutor's Office. In addition, the protesters demanded the resignation of pro-Russian Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová, and mentioned the accident involving the leader of the Slovak National Party Andrej Danko (Fico's coalition partner), who reportedly fled the scene.
Mr. Fico, people see what you are doing! That you are taking over the state! You are destroying independent institutions, and your criminal law reform is actually a pro-mafia package
Prime Minister and President Debate
Slovak President Zuzana Chaputova also criticized Fico, noting that his reform would reduce sentences for many crimes and shorten the statute of limitations.
The amendment to the criminal law is one of the most serious in our history. It would fundamentally change the way we deal with simple theft, as well as organized crime, and irreversibly limit the rights of victims
The President's speech did not leave even Prime Minister Robert Fico indifferent.
We cannot take what she said seriously. If Madam President wants to intervene in this struggle that is now taking place in the National Council, I will use all options
According to the Slovak prime minister, "Mrs. President was not speaking as the head of state, but as a spokesperson for Progressive Slovakia and the opposition.
In addition, Fico accused Chaputova of siding with a crime that took place in 2020-2023 (during the previous government - ed.).
According to him, the human rights of the opposition and people associated with it were grossly violated.
EU reaction
The European Public Prosecutor's Office complains that Slovakia is no longer able to effectively fight the illegal use of EU funds. On Wednesday, the European Parliament condemned Slovakia's reform proposals by a large majority. In the resolution, MPs call on the EU Commission to monitor very closely where Slovakia is headed in terms of the rule of law and to intervene earlier than with Hungary or Poland.
Recall
UNN reported that at the end of 2023, several protests against the government of Robert Fico took place at different times - thousands of people protested against the plans of the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico to amend the criminal code, in particular, to abolish the special prosecutor's office for the investigation of serious crimes.
Also in early January, it was reported that Slovakia did not support the declarationcondemning the supply of North Korean missiles to Russia due to the alleged "lack of evidence.
