Murder of Kuciak Commemorated Abroad Too, Vasaryova Gives Speech in Prague

Prague/Bratislava, 21 February (TASR-correspondent) - Slovaks living abroad on Saturday commemorated the eighth anniversary of the murders of Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova. Several dozen people gathered at Vaclav Havel Square in front of the National Theatre in Prague, TASR's special correspondent reported. Former Slovak diplomat, politician and actress Magda Vasaryova addressed the crowd. Earlier that day, she also spoke at an event in Prague's Old Town Square marking the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She described the murders of Kuciak and Kusnirova as a mafia-style killing. Vasaryova thanked those who came to honour the memory of Kuciak and Kusnirova. "You are the hope that we will not fall through the sieves of conspiracies, hatred, fear and indifference," she said, adding that she herself receives death threats on a daily basis. Members of the Pražská Kaviareň association, which organised the event, read a letter from Jan and Martina's parents. Journalist Arpad Soltesz also briefly addressed the gathering. In addition to the Czech capital, commemorative events were also held in Brno, Brussels, Krakow, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Berlin, London and Copenhagen. Journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova were murdered on 21 February 2018 in their family home in Velka Maca in the Trnava region. Three verdicts in the case have become final. The perpetrators of the murder, Miroslav Marcek and Tomas Szabo, were earlier sentenced to 25 years in prison, while Zoltan Andrusko received a 15-year prison sentence. In the case concerning the alleged order for the murder, Marian K. and Alena Zs. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] are facing trial. The previous two verdicts were overturned by the Supreme Court, and the case has therefore returned for a third time to the Specialised Criminal Court. mf