Good evening. Here is the Monday, March 17 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
PM Fico's assailant faces lifetime in prison
Juraj Cintula. (source: TASR)
On Monday, Katarína Habčáková, a General Prosecutor's Office prosecutor, submitted to the Specialised Criminal Court an indictment against Juraj Cintula, the man who shot PM Robert Fico (Smer) in May of last year.
The man was charged with an aggravated terrorist attack—a classification that courts have struggled with in the past. If found guilty, Cintula might face a life sentence.
The criminal case, which is under embargo and baselessly linked by the ruling coalition to the opposition, consists of 18 volumes and spans more than 6,200 pages.
The attack occurred in broad daylight in front of Fico's bodyguards on May 15 during the government's away-from-home session in Handlová, Trenčín Region. The prime minister sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Initially, Cintula faced charges of a premeditated murder attempt, but the crime was reclassified in July 2024 as an aggravated terrorist attack.
The attacker is a pensioner from Levice, a town in southern Slovakia. He took different jobs during his career life, ranging from a miner to mason. In his spare time, he used to write books. He presided over a Levice writers' club and joined the Slovak Writers' Association in the past.
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FEATURE STORY
Thriving against the odds
The Uprising festival. (source: TASR)
Slovakia and reggae are, arguably, one of those unlikely and unusual pairings. Nevertheless, Uprising Festival has for the past 18 years been showing that it works.
Held on the last weekend of August each year and taking its name from the Slovak National Uprising, the partisan fight against Nazi occupation that began in late August 1944, the festival brings world-class reggae, hip-hop, and electronic artists to the shores of Bratislava's Zlaté Piesky lake. Learn more about the festival's story here.
EVENT FOR THE COMING DAYS
Experience chamber music
Konvergencie art director and cellist Jozef Lupták. (source: Jarmila Uhlíková)
The Konvergencie international chamber music festival is back with another edition, packing 12 unusual solo recitals in eight evenings later in the month. Starting this Thursday, March 20, audience will have the opportunity to witness virtuosos from all over the world, including the stage debut of Slovak violinist Milan Paľa. Click here to learn more about the programme and grab your tickets.
IN OTHER NEWS
The police inspectorate (UIS) has charged a police officer with the criminal offence of obstructing the duties of public officials in regards to the January knife attack at a school in the village of Spišská Stará Ves in eastern Slovakia. An 18-year-old boy named Samuel stabbed a deputy principal, 51, and one student, 18, to death. Although an exceptional student, he had been expelled from his former school for threatening his classmates. After the attack, an investigation was launched whether the attack could have been prevented. Soon, it became known that the school in Spišská Stará Ves wrote a 22-page document describing Samuel's behaviour and threats. Now, according to the investigator, the charged police officer - actually the head of the local police department - had misjudged critical information regarding the student and could have taken several measures. He could face imprisonment for one to five years. (TV Noviny)
A relay protest initiated by several visual artists has started in front of the Slovak National Gallery (SNG) in Bratislava. Intended as a symbol against the "devastation" of the gallery, it is a response to the current selection process for the post of new SNG head. The protest will continue until April 8, when the selection process is slated to occur, in which the initiators demand transparency. They also demand the resignation Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová and her chief of staff Lukáš Machala. SNG has lacked a head since last August when Alexandra Kusá was dismissed by the minister. In the meantime, SNG has had three interim directors, with the last one witnessing several foreign institutions ceasing cooperation with the Slovak gallery. (SITA)
Slovak boxer Miroslava Jedináková won the bronze at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2025 in Niš, Serbia, in the 60 kg category. This is the first world championship medal in Slovakia's history. (source: TASR)
The opposition SaS party filed a criminal complaint against the government-appointed investigator into Slovakia's Covid-19 response, Peter Kotlár, over suspicions that his statements last week regarding the safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines were scaremongering and alarmist. Kotlár, a known conspiracy theorist, declared that his analysis of the vaccines proved that they are capable of modifying human DNA, which, in his opinion, can lead to the development of several serious illnesses, even though he admitted he is no scientist. The statements have been condemned by experts and health institutions alike, adding that Kotlár failed to provide any evidence. (TASR)
New ecological toilets at the Chata pod Rysmi mountain hut in the High Tatras could be in operation in June, just in time before the summer tourist season, Hikemates tourist club head Patrik Pajta said during their inspection. The pilot project for composting toilets, initiated by the club, is a response to pollution in the mountains. According to Pajta, the project has already obtained almost all the necessary permits, with only the approval of the lease agreement by the Agriculture Ministry still lacking. The structure itself weighs approximately six tonnes; some parts have already been carried up by volunteers, with the remaining parts to be transported by a helicopter. It should be robust enough to withstand extreme weather. The previous toilets were destroyed by a storm in 2023. (TASR)
Pro-Russian Sports and Tourism Minister Rudolf Huliak met with Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Igor Bratchikov to talk about bi- and multi-lateral cooperation in sports and tourism. According to the ministry's Facebook page, they both agreed that athletes should not be hindered by political decisions and should compete without restrictions. Huliak also lamented that since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of tourists in Slovakia has decreased. (Facebook)
Cracklings in a cauldron during a cooking competition last Saturday in Turá Lúka, part of the town of Myjava, western Slovakia. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Night will be cold as level 1 low temperatures warning was issued for several northern, central and eastern districts. Throughout the day it will be partly cloudy, with daily temperatures rising up to 9 °C. (SHMÚ)
MARCH 18 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Eduard
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