The verdict came as a shock to many observers in Slovakia, writes The New York Times. German Die Welt named Slovakia a mafia country. Verdict a major setback for justice and the fight against impunity, writes The International Press Institute.
The Ján Kuciak trial is being closely watched abroad too. RTVS correspondent in Brussels Martin Hilek approached some of the MEPs for whom Thursday was a sad day for the freedom of the press.
In March 2018, a few weeks after the murder of the investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova, the European Parliament asked the then Slovak authorities for a thorough investigation. A delegation of 3 MEPs came over to Slovakia to make observations.
"We have been waiting for this verdict," confirms MEP Sophie In' T Veld (Renew Europe). "I think it is important to note that the person who did the actual killing has been sentenced. But we also note that the mastermind behind the murders is still free."
A EP delegation plans to visit Slovakia once the COVID-19 measures are eased.
"For the sense of justice for everybody it is important that crimes do not go unpunished," adds Sophie In'T Veld and continues: "Not just for the victims but also for society because we have seen what this has caused in Slovak society and it's had reverberations across the European Union."
"Reporters Without Borders will be fully satisfied only if the mastermind is convicted and sentenced to a heavy term in prison," stated Julie Majerczak, the director of the Brussels office of this organisation, after learning about the court's decision. The prosecutor required 25 years punishment. "We think it's very important because impunity gives a carte blanche to those who want to silence the critical voices and it creates an atmosphere of fear for journalists."
The New York Times informed on Thursday about the so called "Kocner library", thousands of pages of data collected during the investigation which was made available to media. This way, writes The New York Times, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project intended to give journalists the tools to hold Slovakia's justice system to account.
Reacting to German daily Die Welt which named Slovakia a mafia state, President Zuzana Caputova stated that she does not share this view. The president noted that Slovakia is being confronted by revelations of corruption in senior posts, including in the judiciary, but she sees these revelations as a good thing. She welcomed the fact that the findings are being investigated and believes that those responsible will be held accountable. In her view, Slovakia is a country in which mafia-style practices appear every now and then, but this does not mean that the country is a mafia state.
