The Slovak cabinet has slammed Czech police over their inaction on online comments against Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in mid-May.

“With unhappiness, we received the information that Czech police consider rogue and impolite approval of the assassination attempt on the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico a freedom of expression, even though with statements of its citizens criticising Ukrainians it did not have this level understanding for freedom of expression,” the Slovak government statement reads.  

Czechia and Slovakia used to be one country until 1993 and the two languages are mutually understandable. The two countries maintain very close ties but tensions have appeared since the formation of Fico's left-right government in October, notably over the two governments' divergent stances on the Russia-Ukraine war. This led to the Czech side suspending the ritual of occasional joint cabinet sessions in March. 

The Slovak government statement also criticised Czech PM Petr Fiala for his comment that he would not be discussing the possible renewal of joint cabinet sessions between the two governments. The Office of the Slovak Government told the Czech News Agency that it found his statements disrespectful.

“The peaceful stance of the government of the Slovak Republic towards the war in Ukraine is a sovereign stance of the Slovak Republic and cannot be an obstacle to the development of the Czech-Slovak mutual relations,” the Slovak government said.

The latest spat occurred during new President Peter Pellegrini's visit to Prague after being inaugurated on June 15. Traditionally each country's top officials make its neighbour their first official visit abroad. Pellegrini was backed by Fico's leftist Smer party during the presidential campaign and he suspended his membership in the centre-left Hlas, Smer's key ally party in the ruling coalition, in a nod to the non-partisan tradition of the Presidential palace.    

During a press conference in Prague, Pellegrini stated he cannot judge Czech police, and added that he understands “the response of the Slovak political scene, when […] the Czech side won’t take as vigorous actions as the Slovak one”.

Since taking over power last autumn, Fico's cabinet has introduced sweeping staff changes at the Ministry of Interior, police and other public institutions and was accused by NGOs and liberal media in both Czech and Slovakia of pursuing a power grab.  

Czech police stated for the Czech Press Agency that it does not respond to political comments and that “in our processes, we are strictly bounded by criminal law and the criminal code and it is unthinkable that we would bypass it”, the statement reads.     

Legislators from Smer condemned Czech police in separate comments shortly before the trip.

“To write about Robert Fico that the pig should have been shot is totally fine, according to the Czech police. I am frightened and disappointed as to where we have got to. It is beginning to get politicised in the Czech police, it is sad,” Smer legislator and Slovakia’s former police boss Tibor Gaspar told Slovak media.

Gaspar is facing a criminal investigation in Slovakia over his ties to a criminal network run by his relative and Slovak oligarch Norbert Bodor. Fico’s cabinet caused an outcry when it dismantled the Special Prosecutor Office overseeing high-profile criminal cases in which several of the Smer legislators and businessmen with party links have been implicated.

In their comment criticising Czech police, Smer legislators were responding to an online statement by the Czech far-right politician Jindrich Rajchl, who heads the non-parliamentary PRO party and who published the Czech police’s response to his complaint over online hatred against Fico.

Police wrote to Rajchl that it “has complexly examined” the post in the light “of the thin border between freedom of expression and possible deeds which crosses this border” and “concluded that in this case, it is only a personal expression of a user of social network in a discussion forum on public network internet, which can be subordinated to freedom of expression, rooted in article 17 of the Charter of basic rights and freedoms”.

Rajchl, who is also a practising lawyer, published the response on his Facebook social media page last week, calling it “laughable”.