Thousands of people are expected to march in the memory of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak on Friday, March 2nd, in Bratislava. Many lit candles in front of the building of the newsroom of Aktuality.sk where he worked and in main squares in Bratislava and other Slovak towns on Monday evening. Opposition party OĽaNO announced a protest march for Wednesday in Bratislava. "Constantine the Philosopher" University in Nitra, where both Kuciak and his fiancé studied, is organising a commemorative march on Tuesday evening.
The murder, which has shocked Slovakia, has brought up questions about freedom of speech. In a joint statement released on Monday, editors-in-chief of Slovakia's media called on the state institutions to do their utmost to make sure that freedom of speech isn't threatened. "We express our sympathies to the families of the journalist and his girlfriend, our solidarity with our colleagues and commitment to them to continue with the issues that Kuciak was working on," reads the statement. On Monday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the murder of Slovak investigative reporter Ján Kuciak and called on the country's authorities to ensure that those responsible are punished. The organisation added that he is the second journalist to be murdered in a European Union country in the past five months. Last year Slovakia was ranked 17th out of 180 countries in RSF's World Press Freedom Index, five places lower than in 2016.
On Tuesday, the British Embassy in Bratislava stated in a post on social media that "The UK stands ready to help and has offered assistance to the Slovak authorities in their investigation." The US and French ambassadors also expressed their shock at the news and called for "a thorough investigation and prompt prosecution of the individuals responsible."
