GENERAL
ATTACKER IN SHOOTING OF SLOVAK PM ROBERT FICO SENTENCED TO 21 YEARS FOR TERRORISM
On 21st October 2025, the Special Criminal Court found Juraj Cintula, who had shot and injured Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico the previous year, guilty on terrorism charges and sentenced him to 21 years’ imprisonment. The shooting occurred on 15th May 2024 outside the House of Culture in Handlová, approximately 140 kilometres northeast of Bratislava, following a government meeting, and left Fico critically injured. Cintula was detained by police immediately at the scene.
During pre-trial proceedings, he stated that his motive stemmed from disagreement with Robert Fico’s pro-Russia policies, claiming that his intention had been to impair Fico’s ability to perform his duties as Prime Minister rather than to kill him. In June 2024, Fico publicly forgave Cintula in a video posted on Facebook, describing him as an “activist of the Slovak opposition” and attributing broader responsibility to the opposition, as well as to “anti-government media” and foreign-funded NGOs, which he argued had contributed to an environment in which the attack became possible.
Following the verdict, Cintula’s lawyer announced they would file an appeal with the Supreme Court, contesting the prosecution’s classification of the act as terrorism.
INFRINGEMENT PROCEDURE INITIATED BY EUROPEAN COMMISSION OVER CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
On 21st November 2025, the European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Slovakia over constitutional amendments giving Slovak authorities and courts the power to determine the extent to which European Union law - including decisions of the Court of Justice - applies in Slovakia. In the Commission's view, this undermines the primacy and uniform application of EU law.
Earlier in November 2025, during a press conference in Poprad, Prime Minister Fico stated that he welcomed such a conflict, arguing that the EU’s founding treaties permit Member States to give precedence to domestic law over EU law. This position was subsequently reiterated by the Slovak Ministry of Justice in its response to the infringement procedure.
As noted in the previous CIVICUS Monitor update, the Slovak Parliament adopted the controversial constitutional amendments on 26th September 2025; they entered into force on 1st November 2025. In addition to establishing the supremacy of the Slovak Constitution over EU law, the amendments recognised only two biological sexes, banned surrogacy, explicitly defined a mother as a woman and a father as a man, and restricted adoption to married couples. The changes were met with strong criticism from both non-governmental organisations and European institutions.
SLOVAKIA-UKRAINE DISPUTE OVER THE DRUZHBA PIPELINE
On 23rd February 2026, the Slovak government halted emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine after Kyiv failed to restore Russian oil transit through its territory via the Druzhba pipeline, as requested by Slovakia and Hungary. Transit through the pipeline had stopped on 27th January 2026 following damage caused by a Russian attack that struck a connected oil storage facility. Prime Minister Fico stated that Ukraine had repaired the damaged section of the pipeline and that the decision not to resume oil transit was therefore purely political. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned these statements as blackmail and rejected any ultimatum directed at the country. Slovakia and Hungary then escalated pressure by threatening to block a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine if the pipeline were not reopened. This position was reinforced at an EU summit on 19th March 2026, where Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vetoed the loan and Slovak Prime Minister Fico joined him in declining to endorse the summit declaration supporting it.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS LISTS ROBERT FICO AS A “PRESS FREEDOM PREDATOR”
On 31st October 2025, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) added Prime Minister Robert Fico to its 2025 “Press Freedom Predators” list alongside 33 other individuals and entities. He was included under a category related to smearing the media and promoting mistrust of journalists, alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk, Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, and Argentine President Javier Milei, among others. According to RSF, Fico repeatedly attacked journalists investigating corruption and abuses of power, fuelling public hostility, whilst consolidating control over public broadcasting and restricting access to state-held information.
The 2025 “Press Freedom Predators” list complemented RSF’s annual World Press Freedom Index by assessing press freedom and identifying those who undermine it across the political, security, economic, legal, and social spheres.
CONTROVERSIAL WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION REFORM LAW: FROM ADOPTION TO SUSPENSION AND REPEAL
During an extraordinary session on 22nd November 2025, the Slovak government announced a draft law prepared by the Interior Ministry abolishing the Whistleblower Protection Office, established in 2021 under the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, and replacing it with the Office for the Protection of Crime Victims and Whistleblowers. The proposal followed three fines imposed on the Interior Ministry for failing to respect protected whistleblower status, and was submitted to Parliament on 24th November 2025 under a fast-track procedure. The draft law was approved in its first reading on 2nd December 2025 and was finally adopted on 9th December 2025.
On 10th December 2025, Via Iuris, one of the oldest civil society organisations in Slovakia, together with the Stop Corruption Foundation and Transparency International Slovakia, called on President Peter Pellegrini not to sign the law. Civil society groups warned doing so would significantly weaken the reporting and prosecution of corruption by restricting whistleblower protection, introducing retroactive provisions affecting ongoing cases, and undermining institutional independence through politically influenced appointments.
President Pellegrini indeed vetoed the law on 11th December 2025, but Parliament overrode the veto the following day, making it official and setting it to take effect on 1st January 2026. However, on 17th December 2025, the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended the law, following a petition filed by 63 MPs on 10th December 2025, pending its ruling on the merits of the case.
On 30th January 2026, the European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Slovakia, raising concerns that the law dissolving the Whistleblower Protection Office and granting authorities the power to lift whistleblowers’ protection was incompatible with the EU Whistleblower Directive.
Prime Minister Fico announced on 4th March 2026 that the ruling coalition had agreed to repeal the law, and the repeal was enacted on 17th March 2026. Fico described the law as an ineffective “legislative corpse” following the Constitutional Court’s suspension, and said the government wished to “clear its desk” and focus on more pressing matters, namely negotiations with the European Commission and access to recovery plan funds. Critics had previously warned that operationalising the office and fulfilling Slovakia's anti-corruption obligations were among the milestones the country needed to meet in order to access those funds.
President Pellegrini and Zuzana Dlugošová, head of the Whistleblower Protection Office, both welcomed the repeal. Dlugošová emphasised that any future legislative process should be “guided by constructive and expert dialogue,” in which the Office “offers its professional theoretical and practical experience.”
SLOVAK OFFICIALS’ VERBAL ATTACKS ON TV MARKÍZA JOURNALISTS
In December 2025, repeated verbal attacks by senior Slovak government officials against TV Markíza journalists in public settings raised concerns about the treatment of media and the broader climate for freedom of expression.
On 10th December 2025, Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák verbally attacked TV Markíza journalist Viktor Serebryakov during and after a press conference, responding aggressively to a question and making derogatory remarks, including references to the journalist’s Russian origin.
On 11th December 2025, Andrej Danko, Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, made insulting and personal remarks towards TV Markíza reporter Martina Töröková in the Parliament building, questioning her sobriety and making derogatory personal comments.
PHYSICAL ATTACK ON JOURNALIST AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR PETER SCHUTZ
On 10th January 2026, Slovak political commentator and journalist Peter Schutz was physically attacked in a shopping mall restroom in Košice. The 70-year-old sustained injuries including a fractured femur, requiring hospitalisation and surgery. Schutz has contributed to the Slovak newspaper SME since the 1990s and is known for his critical commentary on the current government. Local police opened a criminal case, and on 10th February 2026 charged a suspect (initials RD) with bodily harm and disorderly conduct. Further details remain unavailable due to the ongoing investigation.
KUCIAK MURDER CASE RETURNS TO COURT FOR THE THIRD TIME
At the end of January 2026, the Special Criminal Court began another retrial in a case concerning businessman Marian Kočner’s involvement in the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.
The couple were shot dead on 21st February 2018 in their home in Veľká Mača, about 60 kilometres from Bratislava. Kuciak, a reporter for Aktuality.sk, investigated possible links between business figures, political actors associated with Robert Fico’s party Smer, and organised crime, which investigators believed was the motive for the murder.
The killings sparked mass protests and a political crisis: Fico, then serving his third term as Prime Minister, was forced to resign on 15th March 2018.
In the years that followed, accountability has been only partial. Miroslav Marček, the shooter, Tomáš Szabó, the driver, and Zoltán Andruskó, the intermediary, were all convicted for their roles in the assassination: Marček was sentenced to 23 years in April 2020, Szabó to 25 years in September 2020, and Andruskó to 15 years in December 2019 following a plea agreement. Those decisions are all final.
However, businessman Marian Kočner, the suspected mastermind, was acquitted in 2023 in a decision strongly criticised by media freedom organisations as an example of impunity. At the same time, Kočner’s associate Alena Zsuzsová was found guilty of arranging Kuciak’s assassination and plotting to kill two prosecutors, receiving a 25-year sentence. That verdict followed a retrial ordered by the Supreme Court, which had annulled the original 2020 acquittals of both Kočner and Zsuzsová.
As previously reported by the CIVICUS Monitor, on 20th May 2025 the Supreme Court once again overruled the 2023 acquittal of Kočner — who is already serving a 19-year sentence for fraud — citing procedural and evidentiary flaws, and ordered a retrial, which is currently under way before the Special Criminal Court.
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY
PROTESTS AGAINST THE HEAD OF THE SLOVAK INTELLIGENCE SERVICE
Protests demanding the resignation of Pavol Gašpar were held in Bratislava on 8th October, 21st October, 5th November, and 11th December 2025. Demonstrators called for Gašpar to step down as head of the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS), citing multiple controversies surrounding his conduct and family connections.
One of the central points of contention was a traffic accident in Nitra on 30th August 2025, in which a minor sustained light injuries. Opposition parties criticised Gašpar for reckless driving, failing to list the car in his asset declaration, and allegedly receiving preferential treatment, as his father and associates arrived at the scene immediately. As reported on 5th March 2026, Gašpar received a mild disciplinary sanction, a 15% salary reduction for one month, which opposition politicians argued was insufficient and undermined accountability.
Another factor fuelling calls for his resignation were Gašpar’s familial ties to his father, Tibor Gašpar, a former national police chief and current deputy speaker of parliament, which raised concerns about nepotism and politicisation within Slovak security institutions.
GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS BLOCK MINISTRY ENTRANCE IN BRATISLAVA
On 10th November 2025, activists from Greenpeace Slovakia blocked the entrance to the Ministry of the Environment in Bratislava. According to Greenpeace Slovakia, the demonstration aimed to symbolically give nature “at least one day of rest” from the Ministry's policies.
Minister of the Environment Tomáš Taraba criticised the protest, describing it as an unlawful restriction of personal freedom because some employees were prevented from entering or leaving the building, and announced that criminal complaints would be filed.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok acknowledged the right to protest but emphasised that blocking access to workplaces is not acceptable. A spokesperson for the local police stated that the gathering was unregistered and monitored by patrols, and that access to the Ministry remained secured, adding that the failure to notify authorities of the assembly would be the subject of further proceedings.
ANNIVERSARY OF VELVET REVOLUTION MARKED WITH ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST
On 17th November 2025, around 50,000 Slovaks gathered in Bratislava — with tens of thousands more rallying nationwide — to commemorate the Velvet Revolution, the peaceful 1989 uprising that led to the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia, and to protest against Prime Minister Fico’s government. The rally opened with speeches by opposition leaders, followed by civic organisations and activists. Michal “Muro,” a student whose viral chalk graffiti critical of the government sparked a wave of similar protests dubbed the “chalk revolution” (kriedová revolúcia), took to the stage and urged attendees not to remain silent, calling for civic engagement.
Truth written in chalk on the pavement still carries more weight than the lies from the Government Office.
- Michal “Muro”
Members of the political opposition drew parallels between the communist era and modern Slovakia under Fico, suggesting that his rule would end as communist rule did in 1989.
BRATISLAVA PROTEST AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION OFFICE REFORM
On 2nd December 2025, people took to the streets in Bratislava to protest against proposed changes to the Whistleblower Protection Office, which civil society organisations warned could weaken whistleblower protections. Organised by non-governmental organisations including Zastavme korupciu, Via Iuris, and Transparency International Slovakia, the protesters marched towards the parliament building to express their opposition to the draft law under consideration. Demonstrators reacted with loud chants and whistles upon learning that MPs had advanced the bill to its second reading. Police monitored the assembly and managed traffic, and no intervention to disperse the protest was reported.
PROTESTS AGAINST CRIMINAL CODE AND JUSTICE SYSTEM CHANGES
On 15th December 2025, citizens in Bratislava protested against changes to Slovakia’s Criminal Code, adopted by Parliament through a fast-track procedure on 11th December 2025. Organised by the Stop Corruption Foundation and Youth Against Fascism, the demonstration opposed amendments that critics argue limit the use of cooperating defendants (a key tool in prosecuting corruption and organised crime) and introduce new offences concerning foreign election interference and public discussion of sensitive historical events, including the Beneš decrees. Protesters warned that the changes could weaken ongoing high-profile investigations, including police corruption cases and the 2018 murders of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.
The following day, 16th December 2025, thousands took to the streets in Bratislava, Košice, Banská Bystrica, and other cities to voice broader dissatisfaction with the governing coalition's recent actions. Demonstrators criticised the last-minute criminal code changes, arguing they went far beyond their original aim of addressing petty theft, and protested the planned transformation of the Whistleblower Protection Office. Opposition speakers called on President Peter Pellegrini to veto the changes, warning that the government's direction risked eroding democratic standards. Pellegrini ultimately signed the law on 23rd December 2025.
SOLIDARITY RALLIES MARK EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF JOURNALIST’S MURDER
On 21st February 2026, commemoration events, including solidarity rallies, were held across Slovakia and abroad to mark the eighth anniversary of the murder of investigative reporter Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. Thousands gathered in Bratislava and hundreds more in other cities to remember the victims and to highlight that a final verdict in the case is still pending, as the trial of Marian Kočner and Alena Zsuzsová began for a third time at the end of January 2026.
SOLIDARITY MARCHES IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE
Solidarity marches held on 24th February 2026 in Košice and Bratislava marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and commemorated its victims. In Bratislava, the march also served as a protest against Prime Minister Fico’s decision to halt emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine — a move linked to escalating tensions following the suspension of Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline at the end of January 2026, after a Russian attack damaged the infrastructure.
“PROTEST AGAINST PROGRESSIVISM” IN NITRA
On 28th February 2026, hundreds of people gathered at Svätopluk Square in Nitra, for a “protest against progressivism”.
While most of the criticism was directed at the opposition party Progressive Slovakia and its associated political figures, some speakers also criticised the government, including Prime Minister Fico, accusing it of inaction and ineffective leadership. Organisers and participants claimed that progressive policies, which they attributed to pressure from European institutions, were harming the country.
The rally was part of a series of protests held since November 2025, organised by right-wing, pro-Russian, and anti-establishment groups opposed to what they describe as progressive political ideas harmful to families, human rights, and society more broadly. Views expressed at such protests include opposition to the introduction of registered same-sex partnerships and mandatory vaccination, as well as to financial support for Ukraine.
Following the first such protest in Košice in late November 2025, which drew around a hundred participants, a manipulated image circulated online purporting to portray the rally as a massive demonstration. Fact-checkers exposed the photograph as fake, noting that the background featured Prague’s National Theatre rather than Košice.
PROTESTS AGAINST JOURNALIST LAYOFFS AT SLOVAK TELEVISION AND RADIO (STVR)
Hundreds of people gathered in Bratislava on 19th March 2026 to protest against the announced layoffs of journalists at the state-funded public broadcaster Slovak Television and Radio (STVR). The planned cuts, amounting to 3.5% of the workforce — 60 out of 1,700 employees — were set to begin on 20th March 2026, according to information obtained by Aktuality.sk. Protesters called on the broadcaster's management to disclose the audit on the basis of which the dismissals were being made. Smaller protests also took place in Košice, Rimavská Sobota, and Lučenec.
FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION
COURT FINDS “RUSSIAN-STYLE” NGO LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL
On 17th December 2025, the Slovak Constitutional Court ruled the contentious law amending the Non-Profit Organisations Act unconstitutional. The decision followed a petition filed in August 2025 by Slovak Ombudsman Róbert Dobrovodský. The Court found that provisions requiring NGOs to publicly disclose donor information and financial contributions violated constitutional protections including privacy, the right to information, freedom of association, the rule of law, and the principle of proportionality. It also determined that the law conflicted with the European Convention on Human Rights regarding respect for private life and freedom of association.
As reported in the previous CIVICUS Monitor update, the law was adopted on 16th April 2025, signed by President Peter Pellegrini on 7th May 2025, and entered into force on 1st June 2025. It required NGOs to submit annual “transparency statements” disclosing funding sources and donor information, with non-compliance carrying penalties including fines and possible dissolution. The law drew criticism from NGOs, opposition parties, and European institutions, and sparked public protests, with opponents warning that it threatened civil society and restricted fundamental freedoms.