Good evening. Here is the Monday, February 3 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in a few minutes.
Homeless man found beaten, dies following day
The homeless man was found near the Nivy shopping centre. (source: Marko Erd)
Last Thursday morning, a beaten man was found near the Nivy shopping centre in the wider centre of Bratislava. After being transported to the hospital in Ružinov, he died the following day.
The man in question was a homeless Ukrainian man, reports private television TA3 on its website, adding that there is suspicion that he was beaten by a private security service (SBS) and a police patrol from Ružinov.
The incident occurred after the man was caught stealing in a clothing store on Wednesday. According to the Sme daily, after an alarm was set off, a police patrol arrived and took the man away. The police was also given camera footage.
According to police president Jana Maškarová, the police are working with multiple versions as to what happened. Bratislava regional police spokesperson Michal Szeiff said that the case is being dealt with by the Bratislava I District Police Directorate. "In order not to thwart or endanger the ongoing investigation, it is not possible to provide any further information at this stage," he said.
The police inspectorate has taken over the investigation and being treated as a homicide. The inspectorate says that it is not yet possible to rule out illegal actions on the part of the police.
The non-profit organisation Depaul Slovakia, dedicated to helping homeless people, expressed outrage at the death of the man and condemned the physical assault.
"Violence is never the solution. As a society, we must not condone or tolerate it," said the NGO, calling on authorities to investigate the case and hold somebody accountable. Depaul is also calling on the public to be more sensitive to homeless people, as they are human beings, too.
Related: A similar incident occurred last November in Košice. A 48-year-old man was arrested in a grocery store where he was reportedly caught stealing alcohol. Once apprehended, the store's security reportedly took him to a designated room and called the police. After allegedly being severely beaten by a police officer, the man is believed to have been taken to the police station, where his health deteriorated. He was later transported to a local hospital, where he died the following day.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
LAST WEEK: Fico compares himself to Georgia's pro-Russian government and Slovakia's claims of a foreign-backed 'coup' plot prompted a response from Ukraine's military intelligence agency.
CONTROVERSY: Spišská Nová Ves Mayor faces criticism over the invitation of Belarusian Ambassador and hoisting of Belarusian flag.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Slovak security agency warns against new Chinese chatbot DeepSeek.
LOCAL BRANDS: Thanks to a map and Bratislava markets, Slovak creators are easily traceable. The most popular creative hub, Nová Cvernovka, is just a few minutes away from downtown Bratislava.
MONUMENTS: A synagogue in Svätý Jur is closer to refurbishment, a new design selected. Along with the Chatam Sofer mausoleum in Bratislava, it may become another place in Slovakia closely interconnected with the prominent rabbi.
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FEATURE STORY
Who was the first Slovak NHL goalkeeper?
Martin Manglay. (source: Archive of M. M. )
Slovak ice-hockey goalkeepers Ján Lašák and Rastislav Staňa were the pioneers who got to experience the thrill of playing in the NHL first hand. However, it was only recently revealed that an unknown goalkeeper preceded them by almost 20 years.
In 1981, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed a contract with 19-year-old Martin Manglay who had just emigrated to Canada. Find out more about his story here.
EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND
Bricks everywhere
A Lego Harry Potter set. (source: TASR)
This weekend (February 7-9), the Zrkadlový Háj culture house in Bratislava's Petržalka borough will host an interactive Lego exhibition comprising of more than 600 sets, out of which 80 have some form of control mechanism.
There will be a full collection of the Supercar set with models from the years 1978-2023, an expansive city diorama comprising of 200 sets and 50-metre long railway and 15 controllable trains, an underwater world, a Harry Potter diorama, a model of the Titanic, Eiffel Tower and more. The exhibition starts at 9:00 each day and ends at 18:00 with the exception of Sunday, when the doors will close at 17:00. The last entry is always one hour earlier. Admission starts at €6, learn more here.
IN OTHER NEWS
President Peter Pellegrini's roundtable invitation to discuss the country's foreign policy orientation was accepted by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer), the coalition Hlas and SNS. As for the opposition, only the KDH party accepted, saying that they want to ask the president to prevent Slovakia's departure from the EU and NATO. The SaS and Progressive Slovakia parties declined the invitation, with the former calling it a false pretense at non-partisanship, with the latter saying that there is no reason for such talks. The president criticised both parties for their decision. Despite a long-standing consensus, the president argues that foreign policy has become a major point of domestic political contention. The roundtable will be held on Tuesday. (TASR)
On Saturday, a brown bear attacked a man near the village of Fačkov in the Žilina Region. The attack occurred in difficult-to-access forest terrain. The 38-year-old man suffered injuries to his neck, arms and legs. After he was treated, he was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Žilina. The area is being monitored by a response team. (My Žilina)
American rapper, singer Post Malone is the first headliner of this year's edition of the Lovestream Festival, which will be held on the premises of a former airport in Bratislava's Vajnory borough on August 15-17. Post Malone will perform on August 16. Have a look at the other bands and acts that other festivals have announced so far here. (Lovestream)
Slovakia lost to Croatia 3-1 in the first round of the Davis Cup 2025 qualifiers. Over the weekend, the countries met for the first time in 20 years since the latter won its first Davis Cup title at a final in Bratislava in 2005. (Sportnet)
Automotive manufacturer Stellantis announced a plan to build a photovoltaic power station on the premises of its Trnava plant in western Slovakia. With an estimated area of the equivalent of 45 football fields, the power station should be one of the biggest in the country. The goal is to reduce the energy costs of the plant. The project has been submitted to the Environmental Impact Assessment authorities. (Index)
The current state of the Bárczy Manor in Banská Bystrica, despite being a cultural monument. It was built around the middle of the 17th century and features a fortification, bastion, park and ice house. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Sunny to partly cloudy, occasionally fog might appear. Daily temperatures will rise to between 0 °C to 7 °C. (SHMÚ)
FEBRUARY 4 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Veronika
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