On Sunday, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová decorated 24 individuals with state awards, five of whom received them posthumously.
The Order of the White Double Cross was bestowed on Czech lawyer Pavel Rychetský who had voiced his disapproval of misdeeds committed by politicians. Rychetský received the award for his contribution to the development of ties between the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the sphere of the judiciary.
The Ľudovít Štúr Order was awarded posthumously to late ice-hockey legend Pavol Demitra, who died in September 2011 in a tragic aircraft crash near the Russian city of Yaroslavl. The same order went also to scientist Pavol Čekan for his contributions to the development and production of tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Among other decorated figures were ice-hockey player Zdeno Chára, musical composer Vladimír Godár, psychologist Magdaléna Špotáková, publicist Milan Šútovec, high school teacher Jaroslav Budz who laid down his life defending students from an attack in the town of Vrútky (Žilina region).
The list of awarded personalities also includes palliative medicine trailblazer Kristína Križanová, Polish movie director and script writer Agnieszka Holland, Hungarian theatre director Sándor Beke, journalist and social worker Agnesa Horváthová, Literary scientist, historian, diplomat and politician Rudolf Chmel, linguist and teacher Vasiľ Jabur, folklorist, choreographer and dancing teacher Helena Jurasovová, psychologist Ivan Leitman, founder of a unique bookshop Vladimír Michal, figure skating coach Hilda Múdra, late war hero Chaviva Reiková, victim of communist totalitarian regime Anna Šestáková, poet lyricist and translator Ivan Štrpka, Hungarian dissident, intellectual and politician Károly Tóth, late musicial Dezider Ursiny and set, costume and graphic designer Ján Zavarský.
