Criminal Proceedings against far-right MP

The National Crime Agency has launched criminal proceedings against the far-right Kotleba-People's Party Our Slovakia MP Milan Mazurek over his derogatory statements about the Roma community, television news TA3 reported on its website on Thursday. In addition to his pejorative stances on the Roma, Mazurek allegedly said on a local radio programme in Žilina that for him Jozef Tiso is the first and only real president. Mazurek's statements on the radio were first investigated by Žilina police, but the case was forwarded to the NAKA early this year. A NAKA investigator has started criminal proceedings against the MP in the matter of inciting, defaming and threatening persons on account of their belonging to a certain race, nationality, skin colour, ethnic group or family origin. In the interview, Mazurek purportedly used generalised statements about the Roma, to which the radio presenter did not respond. As a result, the Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission has launched administrative proceedings against the radio over possibly inciting hatred.