Opposition Demands Accountability Over Gelnica Teacher Murder

Bratislava, 7 July (TASR) - Findings by the Prosecutor-General's (PG) Office in the case of a teacher murdered in Gelnica show that state authorities failed to protect victims of domestic violence, opposition parties declared on Tuesday, calling on Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) and Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) to conduct a thorough review of the handling of the case and introduce effective measures to help victims of domestic violence. Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and the 'Slovakia' party also demanded accountability, adding that the ministers should resign. "The Prosecutor-General has confirmed in black and white what we, as a party, warned about. The state failed to protect this woman and failed completely. Today we can clearly see how dangerous and damaging the governing coalition's empty seats at the recent parliamentary committee session were for all women living in fear of violence," Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) leader Milan Majersky said. He added that when a woman asks the state for help, she must receive immediate and effective protection. "We will continue to insist that decisions in domestic violence cases are finally based on the actual level of risk to the victim," Majersky said. KDH welcomed the Prosecutor-General's Office's decision to hold district-level prosecutors accountable but also called for consequences for the police. Progressive Slovakia (PS) posted on social media that Slovakia was facing an epidemic of domestic violence that both the justice and interior ministers were ignoring. The party urged them to present concrete measures to assist victims. SaS said on social media that the incorrect legal assessment of the case, institutional failures and the ignoring of warning signs have created the conditions for a preventable tragedy. "Interior Minister Sutaj Estok and Justice Minister Susko bear political responsibility for this failure because their ministries failed to protect the victim from her attacker," the party claimed. SaS added that, following Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka's report, both ministers should submit their resignations to President Peter Pellegrini on Tuesday. The party is preparing legislation aimed at strengthening protection for women against violence and improving cooperation between institutions. The 'Slovakia' party called on the interior minister to resign immediately. "The prosecution's official conclusions clearly confirm that this was a fatal and complete failure by state authorities under the leadership of the current minister," it said. Earlier on Tuesday, Zilinka said the Prosecutor-General's Office had identified serious breaches of the law in criminal proceedings that preceded the teacher's murder. The preliminary proceedings, which resulted in a criminal order against the teacher's husband, had not been conducted in accordance with the law. According to the PG's Office, the offence for which Tomas V. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] was prosecuted was incorrectly classified as the misdemeanour of dangerous threats. Instead, the case should have been investigated as the felony of abusing a close or entrusted person. Zuzana V. died on 20 June in Gelnica after being attacked by her husband. He has been charged with the aggravated crime of murder and remains in pre-trial detention. mf