H. E. Vladimir Meciar
Prime Minister
Office of the Government of
the Slovak Republic
Bratislava
Slovakia

Vienna, 17 December 1996

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 90 countries, is most concerned about the approval by Slovakia’s parliament on Tuesday, 17 December 1996, of the re-worked draft of an anti-subversion law.

In April 1996, IPI expressed its concern about the amendments to the penal code, which had been rammed through parliament by Your Excellency’s government. President Michal Kovac refused to sign the law, which he considered to be undemocratic, and returned it to parliament for revision.

The re-worked law sets out punishment for acts such as organising anti-government demonstrations. We understand that the law was approved by 66 votes, with five against and six abstentions among 77 deputies present in the 150-seat parliament. Members of all opposition parties in parliament walked out in protest before the vote was taken.

The new version of the law omits a clause which would have made spreading false information abroad punishable, but retains, we are informed, previous catch-all articles which can be interpreted almost at will and could be easily abused by those in power.

IPI therefore urges Your Excellency’s government to reconsider the law and eliminate the anti-subversion elements.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director