The initiative of independent judges called ‘Za otvorenú justíciu’ (literally For Open Justice) has spoken out against the recent lawsuit filed by the Supreme Court, headed by Stefan Harabin, against director of the Fair Play Alliance, Zuzana Wienk.
The statement issued by the initiative says: “We feel that the courts, which should be a guarantee of basic human rights and freedoms, should be reserved when criticised by the public in relation to their activities and should in principal only react to criticism through words.”
The statement is in reaction to a criminal complaint filed against Wienk over suspicion of false accusations and slander, after she accused Harabin and former vice-chairwoman of the Supreme Court, Daniela Svecova, of illegally changing senates and assigning cases to specific judges in 30 cases, without using the anonymous electronic system. Harabin said that this was to balance out the burden at the court, and also because a judge had retired and two had been absent for a longer time.
In reaction to the filing, Zuzana Wienk said it was to be expected as the non-profit transparency watchdog Fair Play Alliance is watching carefully the steps of Stefan Harabin in relation to the media and anyone who speaks out about what is happening at the Supreme Court.
She called for the disclosed information to be investigated by the Ministry of Justice and relevant authorities, and for them to then decide on further steps.