President-elect Andrej Kiska met on Thursday with the four young people who were reportedly attacked by the head of President Ivan Gasparovic’s PR department, Darius Rusnak, with the case now in the hands of the police.
Rusnak and his companion at the time are accused of being abusive to two Hungarian-speaking women in a bar in Bratislava, before threatening and beating two men who spoke up for the women. President-elect Andrej Kiska met with the four young adults and apologised to them, even though it is not his office as yet.
Kiska, who takes up his presidential post on 15 June, wrote on his public Facebook page how they had a coffee together, telling the women, who had been harassed for speaking Hungarian, that he was sincerely sorry about what had happened. On the two young men who stood up for the women, and who were physically attacked as a result, Kiska said he appreciated how they did not turn their head the other way, adding that they deserved our respect.
The incident was said to happen last week when Rusnak asked the women, who were communicating in Hungarian, where they were from in English. When they replied that they were from Bratislava, he told them to speak Slovak or to get out of the bar. He and his companion are accused then of insulting and cursing at the women, according to their testimonies. The women, who wish to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, said he and his friend then tried to get them out of the bar.
Rusnak and his companion allegedly then attacked two men who had told them their behaviour was inappropriate, beating one of them as he lay on the ground. The crime carries a possible three-year sentence.
Great comments.
It would appear that Mr Kiska understands how incidents like this tarnish the image of the country and is prepared to use his future office to wipe some of the egg of the country’s face. I hope that once settled into the palace he has BnM and the Police Chief in front of his desk every week to explain exactly what action they are taking to counter such things. Why Rusnak and Co are not in cuffs is beyond me, at least four witnesses and his own admission – even a donkey could get a conviction on that evidence. No doubt there will be months of paper shuffling, delays, holidays, sickies and other stalling tactics with the case going to court sometime next decade. Swift justice? not in Neverneverland!
If Kiska can’t make changes to the SK, the place is clearly going to he-ll.
I have seen nothing but decline in the past 5 years and things are not getting better in regards to “foreigners” in the SK. Hopefully Kiska will make drastic changes to open up SK. Right now what a huge mess to clean up and removal of the bloated govt excess is a good start.
Only the Turkish PR aids laying the boot in, to dead miners friends & family tops this one!
The sooner Mr Kiska takes up his post, the better the image of Slovakia can be represented.
I just hope he kicks out the current troop of superfluous, free loading bloat staff that currently make up the presidential entourage, as they had nothing good to say of Mr Kiska when he was up for election (putting it mildly)!
Mmm scraping some of the 3 presidential planes (and the standby crews that go with them) might go down well with taxpayers too, while he’s on!