President: No Ideology Can Arbitrarily Interfere with People's Rights and Lives

Bratislava, 17 November (TASR) - No ideology can arbitrarily interfere with the rights and lives of people, it can't persecute them for their origin, faith, or political beliefs, stated President Peter Pellegrini in his address commemorating the Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy at the Central Memorial to the Executed and Tortured Political Prisoners of Communism in Bratislava on Monday. The ceremony was also attended by former president Ivan Gasparovic, Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) and several ministers. "Prosperity and economic and social development can only be achieved in a society that obeys the law and respects human rights, where the spirit of freedom reigns, including freedom of enterprise and freedom of expression," said the head of state. According to Pellegrini, the feeling among people that their desire for dignified living conditions hasn't been fulfilled hasn't been caused by the values that civil society achieved during the Velvet Revolution, but by the way in which post-November governments have handled the country's potential. The head of state also called on people to respect one another, and specifically, to respect students and older people. "I regret that the dialogue that all segments of society called for in November 1989 has disappeared from our public life. Hate, insults and vulgar expressions have often replaced dialogue as the basis for meaningful communication. However, if we want to find ways to unite the Slovak nation instead of further fuelling hatred, we simply can't do so without decent dialogue," he emphasised. Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) highlighted the events that took place towards the end of the previous regime, such as the candlelit demonstration in 1988 and student protests in Bratislava and other cities and towns. "We're here to honour them all, to remember them, and above all, to take responsibility for the values that they fought for," said Blanar. Chairman of the Confederation of Political Prisoners Peter Sandtner pointed to the diversity of the victims of socialism. "It isn't a homogeneous group. This points to the fact that the communist regime persecuted all groups of the population," he said. According to him, the victims of communism were also a loss for the state, which they were unable to help develop. am/df