Thousands have rallied across Slovakia to protest Prime Minister Robert Fico's latest controversial moves to dismantle an independent office that protects whistleblowers and amend the penal code
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- Thousands rallied across Slovakia on Tuesday to protest the latest moves by the government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to dismantle an independent office that protects those who report corruption and other criminal activities and amend the penal code.
Rallies took place in 10 communities, including the capital, Bratislava, where the protesters at Freedom Square had a massage for Fico: “Resign, resign.”
Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and people rally often to protest his pro-Russian and other policies.
This time, people were angered after lawmakers in Parliament loyal to Fico’s coalition government approved a plan to cancel the Whistleblower Protection Office last week despite critical responses to such a move at home and abroad.
In another controversial step, they voted to ban the use of evidence gathered from the suspects who cooperated with law enforcement authorities in exchange for a lower sentence. Such evidence cannot also be used if they lied in any other case.
A banner in the crowd read: “Fico’s government helps mafia.”
Michal Šimečka, the head of the Progressive Slovakia opposition party that organized the rally told the...
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