Most journalists barred from general prosecutor's press conference on acquittal

The resolution raises legitimate doubts, the Special Prosecutor’s Office commented.

Maroš ŽilinkaMaroš Žilinka (Source: TASR)

The General Prosecutor’s Office organised a press conference at 14:00 on September 2, during which General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka explained the steps of his office. Žilinka’s deputy, Jozef Kandera recently acquitted former chair of the Slovak Intelligence Service Vladimír Pčolinský of all charges. Charges against Zoroslav Kollár and Jaroslav Haščák were also dropped.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

The General Prosecutor’s Office did not invite all media to the press conference. Denník N wrote that they learnt about it only by coincidence. After arriving on the scene, they were not let in along with journalists from Aktuality and Sme.

SkryťTurn off ads

Sme reported that only chosen journalists from four television stations were let inside. A list of invited media was not published.

Some politicians, including Juraj Šeliga of Za Ľudí, Kristián Čekovský of OĽaNO and Ondrej Dostál of SaS, criticised the decision to not let every journalist in.

General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka in turn criticised the politicians who spoke out against the office's decision to acquit. He said that the General Prosecutor’s Office was very just and clear in its decisions. He considers the statements of some politicians to be defamatory towards the office.

"I will not be intimidated," Žilinka said, adding that nails were being thrown in front of his home over the weekend.

I am not anyone’s vassal, Žilinka claims

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

The "Protest for Juraj and Matúš" photo became the Grand Prix winner at the 2023 Slovak Press Photo competition.

The Grand Prix prize awarded to a female photographer for the first time.


and 1 more 22. sep
Harvesting festivities in the town of Modra near Bratislava.

Autumn is the time to celebrate the grape harvest. Festivals for running...or a public transport for those not keen on running. Here's what to do during the weekend September 8-10.


8. sep
The Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra.

Legendary metal toy kit on exhibit again, or you can go pick pumpkins, gourds, and squash ahead of Halloween. Here's what to do during the weekend of September 23-24.


22. sep
SkryťClose ad