Billboard of the Creative Society sect in Bratislava-Petržalka. (source: Sme - Katarína Jakubjaková)
The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Žilina, northern Slovakia, has opened an investigation into Czech investigative journalist Kristina Ciroková, following her reports on AllatRa, a Ukrainian sect operating in Slovakia under the name Creative Society (Tvorivá spoločnosť).
Seznam Zprávy, the outlet for which Ciroková works, broke the news.
The case is being handled, among others, by Prosecutor Lucia Pavlaninová. Pavlaninová has previously been linked to events organised by the sect, according to SME daily. This month, Pavlaninová was appointed head of the organised crime division, but she resigned from this post on 10 October after media coverage of her alleged support for the group.
Pavlaninová, who recently obtained a security clearance at the confidential level, denied being a member of the sect, stating, “I declare that I am not involved in any way with the activities of AllatRa or the Creative Society, nor am I a member.”
However, she has not explained why she promoted the sect to her colleagues — a claim that some of them have confirmed to the media. Instead, she complained about the vulgar attacks she has faced since the story broke.
“I’m starting to make sense of things now,” Ciroková remarked on the revelations about Pavlaninová’s alleged connections.
The case involving Ciroková is being led by prosecutor Martin Kováč from Žilina, who, in 2021, began prosecuting key witnesses in corruption cases, a move that sparked protests from some of his colleagues. The General Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the case as well, although it has yet to comment on it.
How Pavlaninová explained interrogation
Ciroková became the subject of a criminal investigation on suspicion of supporting a movement that aims to undermine fundamental rights, after a criminal complaint was filed.
According to SME, Miroslav Kasan, who is also linked to the sect and works for Agapé - the Centre of National Medicine (Centrum národnej medicíny Agapé) in Dolný Kubín, Žilina Region - filed the complaint. Kasan presents himself as a doctor, despite not having studied medicine, the paper notes.
Ciroková described the situation as “absurd”, asserting, “I do not believe I have committed any crime.”
Although Pavlaninová is not overseeing the case, she travelled to Prague on 25 September to attend Ciroková’s interrogation. The Žilina Regional Prosecutor’s Office claimed that Pavlaninová was merely conducting “certain procedural actions”, including the questioning of the journalist. Ciroková refused to testify, and her legal representative argued that the allegations were too vague and demanded further clarification from Pavlaninová.
According to Ciroková, Pavlaninová said the allegations related to “her articles on sects and school shootings.” Ciroková expressed surprise at the connection, noting, “I couldn’t understand how school shootings are related to sects, but she didn’t offer any explanation.”
Ciroková is now waiting to see whether the relevant Slovak authorities will pursue the case. At the moment, she is not being prosecuted.
In the meantime, she has raised concerns about her status as a defendant under Czech law, which lacks the concept of a “suspect”, newly introduced in Slovakia’s legal system as part of this year’s amendments to the Penal Code.
In addition to Ciroková, Prosecutor Pavlaničová Pavlaninová and the police interrogated two other individuals: Ivana Škodová from the civic association Integra – Centre for Prevention in the Field of Sects, and Czech YouTuber and activist Jakub Jahl. Jahl, a former Mormon and theology student, has long been involved in studying sects in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, documenting their activities, writes SME.
On Thursday, October 10, Karolína Kiripolská, a reporter for the Ján Kuciak Investigative Journalism Centre, was also questioned regarding her story about the activities of the civic associations AllatRa and Creative Society, which was published on October 8.
AllatRa’s leader hides in Slovakia
AllatRa’s leader, Igor Mikhailovich Danilov, is under investigation by Ukrainian authorities for treason, endorsing and denying Russian aggression, promoting communist and Nazi symbols, and founding a criminal organisation. Ciroková tracked Danilov to a location near the Veľká Domaša reservoir in eastern Slovakia.
Despite being wanted in Ukraine, Danilov is not subject to an international arrest warrant.
The Creative Society has thousands of followers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Its billboards are widespread, and the group organises conferences where they discuss topics such as the apocalypse. Slovak police have warned against the group’s activities, which include promises of long life to followers, allegedly with the help of extraterrestrials. The sect, which predicts the end of the world, believes its messiah is akin to Russian President Vladimir Putin, though it denies being pro-Russian, pointing out that it is banned in Russia.
The Creative Society has interviewed figures from the disinformation scene, as well as Slovak politicians, including Slovak National Party MP Roman Michelko and Republika party leader and MEP Milan Uhrík.
The Interior Ministry also issued a warning about the Creative Society last year.
