October 3, 2024 - Slovakia, Bratislava

On October 3, 2024 Slovak journalist Xénia Makarová was ambushed by government official Juraj Gedra at her workplace in Bratislava over an article on government office reconstruction written in collaboration with the Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak.

Gedra attacked her with questions about her alleged mistakes in an article, without allowing her to finish speaking. The meeting was secretly recorded by Member of European Parliament Erik Kaliňák, edited, and shared by the ruling SMER party, sparking attacks against the journalist online.

The footage, which showed Gedra speaking to Makarová in an aggressive manner, garnered thousands of comments—many of them containing insults, threats, and calls for harm against the journalist. The orchestrated nature of the incident, combined with the inflammatory language used in the caption, suggests a deliberate attempt to discredit Makarová and intimidate her for her journalistic work.

This is not the first time Slovakian politicians, and particularly those associated with SMER, have targeted women journalists for their work. In 2024, Zuzana Kovačič Hanzelová, Jana Krescanko Dibáková, Mária Benedikovičová and Martina Töröková have all faced smears and online harassment instigated by SMER or its politicians.

Women Press Freedom strongly condemns the actions of Juraj Gedra and the SMER party against journalist Xénia Makarová. This aggressive and derogatory behavior toward journalists, especially the vicious targeting of women online, has become a troubling tactic of the ruling party. Such actions cannot continue without consequence.

We urge Slovak authorities to respect journalists' rights and stop using intimidation tactics. If they fail to act, we call for swift intervention from the EU. This anti-democratic behavior by Slovak politicians must be firmly condemned by European bodies.