Democracy Digest: Slovak Democracy on Trial as Election Looms

'Trial of the year'

After an investigation that opened a Pandora's Box of revelations about high-level corruption, the trial of four people accused of the brutal killing started this month.

In December, Zoltan Andrusko, a restaurant owner from the southern town of Komarno, was sentenced to 15 years for Kuciak's murder in a separate trial.

He had cooperated with authorities since his arrest in September 2018 and acted as a key witness against the two kingpins in the murder. 

He accused businessman Marian Kocner of ordering the killing from Alena Zsuzsova, who allegedly contracted Andrusko to hire two hitmen.

Kocner, Zsuzsova and two alleged hitmen arrived at a special court in Pezinok city in southwestern Slovakia on January 13. If convicted, they face 25 years or a life sentence in prison. 

Kocner, Zsuzsova and one of the alleged hitmen deny the charges while the fourth pleads guilty.

The chilly January weather reflected the mood in the courtroom, where the parents of Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kusnirova — also killed in the shooting — sat opposite the accused.

"I know that what we are going through means nothing to you, because you only ever loved power or money," said Zlatica Kusnirova, Martina's mother, in an emotional address to the defendants on Wednesday.

Kuciak's parents held each other and cried while Miroslav Marcek, a former soldier, described in detail how he shot their son in February 2018.

Miroslav Marcek arrives at the opening of the main trial concerning the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova in the Judicial Academy building in Pezinok on January 13, 2020. The Special Prosecutor's Office filed criminal charges against Marian Kocner, Tomas Szabo, Miroslav...