The right to protest is governed by the Law on Right to Assembly. Concerns have been raised that the burden on protest organisers to ensure stewards are available is designed to absolve the state of its duty to properly police public gatherings. Labour unions are allowed to assemble and picket without hindrance and this year teachers held peaceful nationwide strikes. In recent times, a rising anti-immmigrant sentiment amongst some sections of society has caused tensions on the streets of Slovakia, with protestors and counter-demonstrators separated by police. In 2015, large scale anti-immigrant rallies by right-wing parties took place and police had to intervene to prevent attacks on smaller pro-migrant gatherings; some arrests were carried out. A series of large political opposition protests took place in 2016 without major incident.

Free expression and the right to information is guaranteed by law in Slovakia. The Internet is free to access and is unrestricted. Slovakia is ranked 12th out of 180 countries by the World Press Freedom Index, reflecting the presence of a vibrant media. At times, politicians attempt to curtail the media’s independence through legal means and arguing for their right to privacy to be upheld. Defamation attracts a sentence of up to eight years imprisonment ─ the harshest punishment for defamation in the European Union. In May 2015, the entire cabinet said it would not respond to questions from the newspaper Denník N after it published cartoons that portrayed the President as a thief. The newspaper was also banned from government press conferences.