Fico: Condemning Meciar's Amnesties in Parliament Appropriate

Fico: Condemning Meciar's Amnesties in Parliament Appropriate

Bratislava, November 30 (TASR) – It’s appropriate to react to the controversial amnesties issued by erstwhile prime minister Vladimir Meciar as acting president in 1998 by condemning them via a parliamentary declaration, said Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day the Cabinet recommended that Parliament should adopt a declaration on the matter. According to Fico, the draft was agreed “across the political spectrum, as far as the governing coalition is concerned”.

The declaration draft should be included in the agenda of the current parliamentary session.
The prime minister noted that parliamentary declarations on important matters have already been issued several times, perhaps most notably on July 17, 1992 concerning the independence of the Slovak nation in the then Czechoslovakia.

Fico reiterated his opinion that Meciar’s amnesties actually cannot be scrapped as demanded by the Opposition. “Everyone with a lawyer’s education knows this,” he added.

Slovak society has for a long time been concerned about the failure to bring clarity and impose punishments for the kidnapping of former President Michal Kovac’s son on August 31, 1995, reads the declaration. The administration of justice was prevented by amnesties granted by then prime minister Vladimir Meciar, who also held some presidential powers at the time.

Parliament should state in the declaration that it condemns the kidnapping of a Slovak citizen and that this was not only a gross interference in human rights and fundamental freedoms but also an act that damaged Slovakia’s reputation.

Parliament is condemning amnesties issued by the then prime minister that have prevented the offenders from being revealed and punished, states the declaration.