Ombudsman: Murders of Jan and Martina Remain Wake Up Call for Slovakia

Bratislava, February 21 (TASR) - The murders of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova remain a wake up call for Slovakia, ombudsman Robert Dobrovodsky has posted on a social network to mark the seventh anniversary of the tragedy. Dobrovodsky stressed a necessity for media and journalists to have guaranteed freedom and protection while carrying out their work. "Their violent deaths highlighted the importance of protecting journalists, freedom of the press and expression, especially in the context of protecting democracy and the rule of law," noted Dobrovodsky. He considers it important for society to recall the legacy of Jan and Martina and to continue its efforts to build a just and democratic society. In this connection, Dobrovodsky pointed to the fact that Slovakia ranked 29th in last year's international press freedom index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders, which is a drop from 17th place in 2023. The ombudsman in this connection mentioned the cases of the disappearance of other journalists, Pavol Rypal (missing since April 22, 2008), who was dedicated to unveiling the activities of organised crime, and Miroslav Pejko (missing since March 17, 2015), who worked as an editor for Hospodarske noviny daily at the time of his disappearance. "These unsolved cases underscore the risks that journalists face in their work," he said. Together with ombudsman's office head Alexandra Stachova, they honoured the legacy of Jan and Martina at their monument on SNP Square in Bratislava. 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