Politicians Mark Anniversary of Murders of Journalist Kuciak and His Fiancée

Bratislava, February 21 (TASR) - Slovak politicians are commemorating the seventh anniversary of the murders of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova on Friday, speaking of the need to seek truth as their legacy and pointing to the need to commemorate them. Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) called the murder a tragedy. "The death or murder of anyone is a tragedy and a misunderstanding that such a thing can happen, especially if we are talking about the murder of someone in connection with their work, with their opinion," he said. He believes that law enforcement authorities, as well as those within education at schools, are doing their best to ensure that such an incident does not happen again. The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party also commemorated the tragedy, highlighting the civic courage of the victims and their determination to fight for democracy, freedom and justice. "We must never forget these two brave young people," PS leader Michal Simecka has posted on a social network. The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party speaks of the murder as a tragedy that revealed the ties between Mafia and top politicians, adding that the remembrance of Jan and Martina is a commitment to fight for the safety of journalists and a just society. "The murders of [Jan] Kuciak and [Martina] Kusnirova was a wake-up call for the whole country. But today, after seven years, we can see that justice still hasn't been served. The person who ordered the murder hasn't been convicted and the rule of law is under threat again. It is directly threatened by those who were in power at the time when the heinous murder took place. Attacks on journalists are repeated even today and hatred is spread by the very same representatives as back then," stated SaS leader Branislav Groehling. The opposition 'Slovakia' party commemorated the victims in the village of Velka Maca (Trnava region) as well. Its leader Igor Matovic thinks the person of Kuciak should be a message to people to love their homeland and show it by courageously fighting against the spreading hatred and lies. He pointed out the need to seek the truth. He believes that Kuciak should be an inspiration for other journalists as well. "It would be extremely helpful for Slovakia if other journalists in Slovakia would follow his example and stop being the owners of the truth, but seek the truth from now on," he said. Journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova were murdered on February 21, 2018 in their family house in Velka Maca. The most probable motive according to the police was Kuciak's investigative journalistic work. ko/mcs