The Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic will review the constitutionality of the Slovak Television and Radio Act (STVR). The court on Wednesday accepted the submission of a group of opposition MPs who challenged the law in its entirety for further proceedings. At the same time, it did not grant their motion to suspend the effectiveness of the challenged provisions.
The constitutional complaint was filed by the opposition PS, KDH and SaS. PS chair Michal Šimečka sees the change in legislation as an effort to politically control STVR, to install the coalition’s own appointees in the management of the institution, and not as an ambition to improve the state of the public media.
The complainants see a contradiction with the Constitution of the Slovak Republic in the guarantee of freedom of expression and the right to information, as well as in the prohibition of censorship. Before the Constitutional Court, they also challenged the law's incompatibility with the European Freedom of the Media Act and asked the Court to refer them to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Source: Pravda
