The last missing gate of the Trnava Fortress is discovered, a popular movie theater in Bratislava reopens, and a former prime minister is interviewed about his role in the working group trying to counter Russian aggression.
Good evening.here it is Today in Slovakia edition for Wednesday, February 7 – a summary of the day’s main news in under 5 minutes.
Possibility of litigation between states in case of death of Slovak citizen
Video footage showing the death of Slovak Josef Chobanec was published by Het Laatste Nieuws on August 19, 2020. (Source: TSS/YouTube/Facebook)The Slovak Ministry of Justice is seriously concerned about the progress of the case revealing the death of Slovak national Josef Chobanec in Belgium in 2018.
“If the decision to be announced on 25 March 2024 is not an adequate response to the flaws in the investigation that we have identified, we will seriously consider filing an interstate action with the European Court of Human Rights,” Minister of Justice said. Boris Susko (Smail).
The minister said he respected the independence of the Belgian authorities, but stressed that the circumstances of Chovanec’s death and the subsequent investigation were questionable.
“In this case, in our opinion, these doubts still exist,” the minister insisted.
Joseph Chovanec, 39, was detained at Charleroi Airport on February 23, 2018, after a fight with police officers. He was escorted off the plane. Initial media reports suggested he was injured in custody.
However, Belgian media outlets later published photos from a prison camera showing one officer giving a Nazi salute while others stood up and laughed. Another officer continued to kneel on the man’s chest for approximately 16 minutes. Chobanek then suffered a heart attack and was taken to a hospital, where he died from his wounds. Local authorities were slow to react, drawing criticism from Slovak and Belgian citizens.
More stories from the Slovakia Spectator website
If you like what we do and want to support good journalism, purchase an ad-free online subscription and have the print edition of The Slovak Audience delivered to your home in Slovakia. thank you.
Wednesday’s feature article
Putin understands strength
Mikulas Zurinda. (Source: SME – Marko Erd)Former Slovak Prime Minister Mikulás Zrinda is a member of the International Working Group for a New European Security Architecture, chaired by former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak. became.
In the interview, he talks about the group’s ultimate goals and his role within it.
Movies in the next few days
Kino Lumiere Cinema is back
Restored Kino Lumiere. (Source: TASR)After 504 days of reconstruction, the legendary cinema Kino Lumière has reopened, making it an artistically and technologically cutting-edge venue. Let’s celebrate the opening with a movie screening. Today’s selections include Mads Mikkelsen’s The Bastard, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Martin Scorsese’s Murders of the Flower Moon, and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron .
Click here for program and ticket details.
In other news
- Environmental NGOs are concerned about both the Ministry of the Environment’s movements and the activities of other ministries.. They say the current government has introduced legislation that threatens the country’s environmental protection system. They also consider the way the ministry handles personnel changes to be worrying. (TASR)
- Robert Fico’s advisers include several dissident figures. That includes Judge David Lintner, who previously had to resign over his communications with mobster Marian Kočner. Artur Bekmatov is known for spreading pro-Russian propaganda and used to work for a conspiracy website. Dalibor Juraszko, a reporter for a disinformation website who believes that NGOs have anti-Slovak interests. and Eduard Schmerer, notorious for his anti-NATO and anti-American sentiments. (Hospodarske Noviny)
On Wednesday, February 7, people gathered again in front of the parliament building to protest against the government. (Source: TASR)- The Slovak Constitutional Court has rejected former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s claim that he was listed as a secret agent in the secret police of the communist Czechoslovak State Security Service (ŠtB). Babiš had appealed the Bratislava District Court’s verdict and the Slovak Supreme Court’s decision. The former dismissed the case against the Slovak National Institute of Memory, saying that nothing could have been done regarding his appearance in its records, while the latter dismissed further appeals. Meanwhile, business tycoons and politicians claim they have nothing to do with ŠtB. (TASR)
- On Wednesday, stones fell on the I/18 road near Strečno Castle, near the town of Žilina in northern Slovakia, damaging the road itself and two cars. There were no injuries in the incident. The maximum speed on roads has been temporarily reduced and the Žilina district office will consider declaring a state of emergency. (TASR)
Road damaged by falling rocks. (Source: TASR)thursday weather
The weather is expected to be cloudy and rainy throughout the day, with daytime temperatures expected to rise between 8 °C and 14 °C, or between 2 °C and 8 °C in the Žilina region. A level 2 wind warning applies to the mountain ranges of north-central Slovakia and level 1 ground ice in the northernmost districts. See map. (Shum)
Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.
If you have suggestions on how to improve PS News Overview, please contact us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator).