(Bloomberg) — Slovakia’s opposition called for an investigation into Prime Minister Robert Fico’s administration for possible abuse of the intelligence service to suppress political opponents and civil society.
The Freedom and Solidarity Party filed a criminal complaint with the General Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday after the prime minister cited a classified report accusing the opposition of colluding with the media and NGOs to organize a “coup”. The group alleged that the spy agency was working in the government’s interest by monitoring activists to discredit anti-government protesters.
The central European country has been rocked by anti-government protests for months. Protesters criticize the erosion of the rule of law and Fico’s pro-Russian policies, which they argue could jeopardize Slovakia’s standing within the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Freedom and Solidarity member Ondrej Dostal said before filing the complaint, “The aim of the nonviolent protest is to preserve Slovakia’s democratic character, maintain its pro-Atlantic and pro-European orientation, and prevent Slovakia from cooperating with Russia. ”
Fico has regularly rejected opposition accusations that his government is trying to seize power and exploit control over key state institutions, including the secret service, police, prosecution and state media.
On Wednesday, Fico confirmed his allegations, saying a group of US-funded experts was working in Slovakia and preparing to use the protests to topple the government. He also claimed that the group was involved in similar movements in Georgia and Ukraine.
Fico announced the Security Council meeting on Thursday. “We will agree on preventive measures to prevent destabilization of the state,” Fico said. He said that the rights of peaceful protests should not be endangered.
The intelligence service is headed by Pavol Gaspar. He is the son of Tibor Gaspar, a senior member of Fico’s party, who was recently part of a parliamentary delegation to Russia and suggested that Slovakia might consider leaving the EU in the future.
The protest’s co-organizer, Not in Our City Forum, described it as peaceful and legal. The organization said in Facebook comments that the information, which the intelligence service described as “dangerous with the aim of destabilizing Slovakia”, originated from emails sent to 120 people to coordinate protest activities in January and February.
Another round of protests are scheduled for Friday in several cities across Slovakia, including the capital Bratislava.
(Updated with Premier Fico’s comments in sixth and seventh paragraphs)
More stories like this are available on Bloomberg.com
