Pro-Russian protesters on the square outside the Presidential Palace in March 2023. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the National Crime Agency (NAKA) warned that, in certain cases, a person could be sent to prison for 10-25 years or life for promoting war. The police added that it would appropriately search the Internet for such criminal activity.
On February 6, the Specialised Criminal Court dealt with such a case for the first time.
A 65-year-old man, who could have spent 10 years in prison for approving the invasion, avoided punishment. The verdict is not yet final. However, the case suggests that the Slovak authorities are unable to punish disseminators of Russian propaganda despite their earlier promise.
Judge Marek Filo ruled that the defendant did not commit a crime. He cited freedom of expression.
The pro-Russian presidential candidate and former judge Štefan Harabin is also facing trial for approving the Russian invasion. “I’d do exactly the same thing as Putin with regard to the events in Ukraine…It’s indisputable that Putin and the Russian Federation acted in accordance with international law,” Harabin said just a day after the war began.
After getting into trouble with the police, the pensioner tried to contact Harabin.
