Slovakia: IFJ and EFJ support journalists’ call for action in Ján Kuciak murder investigation

[UPDATED ON APRIL 15, 2019] Slovak journalists are demanding for action in the murder investigation of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kušnírova, which after six months has not given any results [this release was originally published in August 2018]. In an open letter, signed by over 300 Slovak colleagues, journalists call for not forgetting the murder and ensuring the independent investigation.

Protester demands justice for Ján Kuciak in Bratislava. VLADIMIR SIMICEK / AFP

International and European Federations of Journalists stand in support with their Slovak colleagues in asking the state authorities to ensure the continuation of a thorough and effective investigation without further delays.

Slovak journalists are raising concerns on the actual independence of the current investigation of the murder, concerning the Kuciak’s own findings on mafia connections reaching to the top levels of the government in Slovakia. The main questions who and why murdered the journalist still have no answer from the authorities.

Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová were shot dead in February 2018 in their home in Veľká Mača, Slovakia. Kuciak worked as a reporter for a news website Aktuality.sk, investigating tax frauds and corruption. The journalist’s last investigation was uncovering ties between Slovak government officials and an Italian mafia syndicate, who were supposedly collaborating to commit fraud of EU subsidy funds, as well as a separate story on Eastern European drug cartels. The Slovak state prosecutor said, that the investigation on corruption might have been the main reason of Kuciak’s murder.

[UPDATE] According to various Slovakian media, a man has confessed the killing of Jan Kuciak. His name is Miroslav Marcek and he is a former soldier. This is an important breakthrough in the investigation, yet justice must continue to do its job until both the killer and the masterminds are brought to court.


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For more information, please contact IFJ on +32 2 235 22 16

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 146 countries

Follow the IFJ on TwitterFacebook and Instagram

Subscribe to IFJ News