Fico: Authorities Have Dropped Charges against Me Concerning December Protest

Bratislava, January 10 (TASR) – Smer-SD head Robert Fico reported on Monday that the authorities have dropped the charges that were pressed against him in connection with a protest during which he was detained and taken to a police station in December and that the criminal proceedings in the case have been suspended, claiming that he obtained this information from his lawyer.

“If this really is the case, it only proves that [acting Police Corps president Stefan] Hamran, [Interior Minister Roman] Mikulec and others engaged in a gross plan to deprive me of the opportunity to take part in the protest,” said Fico.

The Smer head was detained by the police on the evening of December 16, shortly before a protest organised by his party was about to start on Tyrsovo nabrezie Street in Bratislava. The police then reported that Fico had been taken to a police station based on a request from a law-enforcement authority.

When released, Fico told the media that had been charged with incitement, which he called bogus, claiming that the protest wasn’t meant to cause tension.

Hamran denied that the case was politicised, stressing that a state of emergency was in place at the time of the protest. Hamran added that a state of emergency should be respected and that no one is allowed to incite others to violate it. He declared that the police would continue to take action in a similar way in the future, regardless of the political affiliation of the protagonists.