Dozens of judges in Slovakia have launched a petition drive against a decision made by the country’s Supreme Court on June 7 to demote a female colleague from a regional court to a lower court, a move that they view as bullying and harsh treatment in fabricated proceedings, the TASR newswire reported.
The 51 signers of the petition claim that the decision was orchestrated to keep Judge Anna Benešová from adjudicating in libel actions initiated by Supreme Court President Štefan Harabin. Her transfer from Bratislava Regional Court to the first-instance court in the district town of Levice (in Nitra region), according to them, is tantamount to being disbarred as a judge.
The protesters say that Benešová served on the bench for nearly four decades, working as the presiding judge of appellate panels at Bratislava Regional Court and ranking among the most experienced and best-performing judges.
The petitioners are also protesting against the suspension of Kristína Glezgová, a judge with Veľký Krtíš District Court, (Banská Bystrica region) on the grounds of her raising an objection of bias. The proceedings, it is argued, were fabricated with the sole purpose of preventing her from adjudicating on a specific dispute. The Supreme Court is scheduled to review her case at the end of June, TASR wrote.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
