The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, today called on Slovak authorities to investigate reports of systematic surveillance of journalists led by a former intelligence agent.
According to Slovak media, the agent, Peter T贸th, conducted a massive, illegal surveillance operation on journalists between March 2017 and February 2018 on behalf of Marian Ko膷ner, the disgraced businessman charged with ordering the murders of Slovak journalist J谩n Kuciak and his fianc茅e, Martina Ku拧n铆rov谩.
The leading Slovak daily SME today that a small, organized group worked with T贸th to gather information to be used by Ko膷ner to discredit journalists, including those working for SME, Aktuality.sk, Trend and Denn铆k N. The group closely monitored the targets鈥� personal lives and daily activities, going so far as to monitor journalists as they picked up their children from kindergarden. SME also said members of the group sat in a parked car every day in front of the newspaper鈥檚 office to follow one of its journalists, Adam Val膷ek.
SME also reported that the surveillance team obtained extensive access to official police databases, collecting private data on journalists ranging from vehicle license plates to tax information.
IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen said Slovak authorities should urgently investigate the reports.
鈥淭he surveillance operation uncovered by the Slovak press is a serious breach of journalists鈥� rights, in particular journalists鈥� rights and duty to protect their sources鈥�, he said. 鈥淭his disturbing and unjustified invasion into journalists鈥� private lives in order to discredit them represents an unacceptable attack on press freedom aimed at intimidating Slovakia鈥檚 critical, independent media into silence. We call on the Slovak authorities to immediately open an investigation into these reports, and in particular into how those carrying out the surveillance were able to access personal information about journalists using police databases.鈥�
Slovak prosecutors announced on March 14 that Ko膷ner, who was already in detention on unrelated fraud charges, would be charge with ordering February 21, 2018, double murder of Kuciak and Ku拧n铆rov谩. The killing sparked the largest protests in Slovakia since the Velvet Revolution, forcing out former Prime Minister Robert Fico as well as the chief of police.
IPI welcomed the charges against Ko膷ner as 鈥渃lear and significant progress鈥� toward justice but against losing momentum in the case.