PAVOL RUSKO, part-owner of the Markíza TV station and leader of the non-parliamentary Ano party, has claimed the state Broadcast Council watchdog, which has fined the station for promoting Ano, is using "censorship tactics".
Rusko compared the Council's methods to those practiced in Slovakia under communuism, as well as to the situation in authoritarian Belarus. He said he would take his complaint to the European Parliament.
After for over a month boycotting a Council demand the station broadcast a message saying it had broken the law in giving Ano an unwarranted amount of air time and uncritical news treatment, Markíza published the admission last week, but at the same time doubted its validity in an on-air commentary.
Council members have defended their decision, and have said they are prepared to defend it in front of international bodies.
