Thousands protested in nearly 20 towns and cities on Thursday to condemn Prime Minister Robert Fico's efforts to close graft's prosecutor office.
The disbandment of the special prosecutor's office, which handles serious crimes such as graft, organized crime, and extremism, was proposed by the three-party coalition government.
Thousands of Slovaks Protested
People attend a demonstration to protest against the government's plan to close a special prosecutor's office, in Bratislava, Slovakia, on January 11, 2024. Several thousand people took to the streets in Bratislava on January 11, 2024 to protest criminal code reforms planned by Slovakia's government, criticised by the European Union and the opposition alike.
The police reported that about 20,000 protesters in a Bratislava central square opposed the plan. The first small protest in Bratislava involved hundreds on December 7 and has now spread to 20 towns and cities.
Michal Šimečka, head of liberal Progressive Slovakia, the strongest opposition party, was among the crowd.
"You're making the same mistake as any other unsuccessful dictator," Šimečka said in a message to Fico. She noted that Fico underestimated people's desire for freedom and justice.
"Mafia, mafia," and "We've had enough of Fico," the protesters repeatedly chanted.
The legislation approved by Fico's government requires parliamentary and presidential approval. Fico returned to power for the fourth time after his scandal-plagued leftist party won Slovakia's legislative election on September 30 on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.
His critics fear that Slovakia could abandon its pro-Western course and instead follow the direction of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán if he returned.
Since Fico's administration came to power, some elite investigators and police officials who handle high-profile corruption cases have been dismissed or furloughed. The planned changes in the legal system also include reduced penalties for corruption.
Numerous high-ranking government employees, law enforcement personnel, judges, prosecutors, politicians, and business associates of Fico's party have been accused and found guilty of corruption and other crimes under the previous administration in 2020 after campaigning on an anti-corruption platform.
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Former President Caputova Criticizes Fico's Plan
President Zuzana Caputova has criticized the plan to close the office as a "step backward," which will be closely monitored in Brussels for potential damage to the rule of law. The issue has pitted neighbors Poland and Hungary against the European Union.
The three-party coalition can override an expected veto by Caputova. Caputova declared she would be open to using a constitutional challenge to the legislation. It was unclear how the Constitutional Court might rule.
Fico told a press conference that the USP had violated human rights in its processes and had to be dismantled. "This evil in the form of Lipsic must end, and we are doing that forcefully and thoroughly," he said.
In 2018, he was forced to resign by mass protests after the murder of a journalist investigating corruption. He has long accused the USP of being politically biased against his SMER party and has spoken in favor of removing Leipsic.
Furthermore, the USP also oversaw the murder investigation.
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