Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico has taken legal action against Peter Bárdy, the editor-in-chief of Aktuality.sk (https://www.aktuality.sk/) news portal, as well as Ringier Slovak Media (https://www.ringier.sk/), the publisher of Bárdy’s book, Fico—Obsessed with Power (Fico – posadnutý mocou). The lawsuit seeks 100,000 EUR from both Bárdy and the publisher, not for the book’s content but for using a photo of Fico on the cover. Fico’s lawyers argue that he has the right to control how his image is used.
This case has raised concerns among media freedom advocates who describe it as a classic example of a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), which is often used by powerful individuals to silence critical voices and investigative journalism. The book delves into Fico’s political career, featuring testimonies from both his allies and opponents.
Fico has a strained relationship with the media for many years.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) will be closely monitoring this case to ensure media freedom is safeguarded.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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