"Are you satisfied now?" Slovak lawmakers accuse the media of trying to kill the prime minister.

 

After an assassination attempt in a town in the country's center, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico—the populist, pro-Russian prime minister who was once removed from office in 2018 due to the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak during his mandate—had emergency surgery.

Following a political gathering in Handlova, roughly 120 miles northeast of the capital Bratislava, Fico was shot many times. According to reports, he was taken to a hospital in nearby Banska Bystrica and was listed as being in "life-threatening condition." After his surgery, his condition was said to be stable, and recovery was anticipated. As per Reuters, the alleged gunman has been apprehended by the authorities.

Western world leaders expressed their dismay, with US President Biden issuing a statement denouncing the "horrific act of violence." Matus Sutaj Estok, Slovakia's interior minister, called it "the worst day of [Slovakia's] democracy" and claimed there seemed to be "a clear political motivation" behind the shooting.

The story and its possible ramifications alarmed Pavla Holcová, an ICIJ member and the creator of Investigace.cz who worked with Kuciak on stories derived from the organization's Paradise and Panama Papers.

"I'm stunned," Holcová uttered. "This kind of signals the extreme polarization and situation that exists in Slovakia."

Local journalists claim that since Fico's victory last fall, he and his coalition have frequently put pressure on the independent press, cutting off contact with a number of reputable publications and announcing ambitions to seize control of public media.

"The old power structures were essentially brought back to power by the election in September, and one of their first moves was to reduce the space that the free press had," Holcová stated.

The country's press freedom has significantly declined, according to Holcová, in the years since Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, were shot in what is believed to have been a contract killing.

The journalist's murder, the first in Slovakia's 25 years of independence, led to widespread demonstrations and a political crisis that ultimately toppled the government of the nation. The suspected mastermind, businessman Marian Kocner, has been found not guilty twice, while four other individuals involved in the crime have been found guilty.

An instance of Orwellianism

Holcová is concerned that the attempted murder would be exploited as a "political tool" to inflame anti-press sentiment. According to Reuters, Fico's close supporter Lubos Blaha has already denounced the political opposition and media for "the hatred you spread against Robert Fico." According to SME, a Slovakian publication, Slovak National Party head Andrej Danko questioned media representatives, asking, "Are you satisfied now?"

According to Martin Turček, an investigative journalist from Slovakia who works for Aktuality.sk, there is a growing pressure on TV journalists to become less critical of the government. If this trend persists, it may have an effect on the elderly or residents of smaller municipalities who are less likely to read or consume news online or in print. According to Peter Sabo, a journalist from Slovakia who works for Aktuality.sk as well, oligarchs hold a huge number of the biggest media companies, making small, NGO newsrooms the "only free media."

Sabo remarked, "It's kind of an Orwellian situation." "Those who have been using extremely hateful language for years against the media, the opposition, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are now claiming that these groups are primarily to blame for hatred."

However, Turček claims to be an optimist. He has written extensively on Fico, his administration, and corruption in Slovakia, but still, the news of the attempted assassination "hurts to see."

He stated, "It happens sometimes that a mess like this just leads to a big media war and everything." "But occasionally, during times like these, it really does happen that a country unites a little bit."