Milan Uhrík, chair of the extremist Republika party. (source: TASR)
Milan Uhrík, chair of the extremist Republika party, has been ordered by a court to delete parts of a social media post over claims he made about a prominent Slovak scientist.
The Regional Court in Nitra ruled that the aim of the post had not been constructive criticism of Pavol Čekan and his company, but a deliberate insult to the scientist aimed at inciting hatred towards him, and damaging the reputation of his company.
"It must have been clear to the defendant what negative emotions and feelings his post would evoke among his supporters," the court said.
Not the only ruling
The parts of the post the court ordered be deleted portrayed Čekan as someone who got rich from the Coronavirus pandemic, while another criticized his company.
The court also ordered Uhrík to pay Čekan's legal fees in full. Čekan called on Uhrík issue a public apology.
"Lying and incitement to hatred must not become a common part of public space," he wrote in a post on social media.
It is not the first time Čekan has had to defend himself against defamatory claims. Miroslav Heredoš, a Republika party member, had previously claimed, without producing evidence, that Čekan's company did not pay taxes in Slovakia. Heredoš was later ordered to delete the social media post in which he made the claims, and pay legal fees.
Scientists targeted
Other scientists have also had to take legal action against Republika officials.
Uhrík previously accused infectologist Peter Sabaka of receiving €28,000 from Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár (Sme Rodina) for activites during the Covid pandemic.
Meanwhile, Milan Mazurek, another Republika MP, indirectly linked Sabaka to the death a boy whose doctor refused to treat him because his mother was not vaccinated. Sabaka took legal action against both men.
During the pandemic, several prominent scientist were targeted by online hate groups and people spreading misinformation.
