Political analyst and Comenius University professor Miroslav Kusý is no longer a member of the Government Council for Human Rights, Ethnic Minorities and Gender Equality. Kusý resigned due to his personal reservations towards professor Pavol Mešťan, who was appointed as a member of the council by Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák on November 13.
“It's ridiculous for me that he was appointed as a member of this particular council. It is as though a vegetarian association accepted a carnivore. It seems unacceptable to me,” said Kusý, referring to the fact that Mešťan was the main ideologue of the Slovak Communist Party after 1968. He is also known for his active fight against Charter 77 which drew attention to human rights violations in the country.
“At one period, I was the only chartist in Slovakia and he basically focused all of his work against me. Because of him I was often summoned to the Communist secret service, the ŠtB, interrogated and finally put in prison," Kusý, who will turn 82 next month, told TASR newswire.
At the November 20 session of the committee, incriminations were exchanged, with Mešťan – now leading the Museum of Jewish Culture – accusing Kusý of anti-Semitism and Kusý accusing Mešťan of dogmatic communism. During the communist regime, Mešťan was professor at the Bratislava-based College of the Communist Party which educated new political experts for the party, the Sme daily wrote.
The human rights council respected his decision.
“Miroslav Lajčák will choose a new member for the vacant seat from the nominations of government and civil society representatives on the Board of the Government,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Peter Susko, according to TASR.
