The Slovak Prime Minister Fico stated on January 22 that he is in possession of a classified report produced by the State Intelligence Service, claiming to have evidence of an alleged planned coup d’etat, orchestrated by the “political opposition parties” and civil society organisations (CSOs) critical of the government.
The alleged evidence is an email sent between the organisers of recent peaceful protests. The email contains suggestions for possible protest tactics that could be employed, generated by ChatGPT. The prompt to ChatGPT was to generate a strategy for weeks of peaceful protests, gradually increasing pressure on the government. The tactics ChatGPT created include communicating facts clearly, using visuals, highlighting positive messaging; and also mention peaceful acts of civil disobedience, such as blockading roads or governmental buildings, all while preserving a non-violent and peaceful approach.
The Slovak Security Council met on January 23 to discuss the allegations, after which the President ensured the public that for now, they do not aim to declare a state of emergency or prohibit protests. Based on public information available, it remains unclear why there would have been a need for either. However, the PM called on the Ministry of Interior to take preventive measures before the planned protests.
Several protests in support of Slovakia's pro-EU and pro-NATO foreign policy had already been planned to take place in more than 20 cities on January 24. The protests are organised in reaction to statements from several MPs on changing the course of Slovak foreign policy and the Prime Minister’s meeting with Putin in Moscow.
Statements that the Secret Service is monitoring individuals deemed 'suspicious’, have raised serious concerns among opposition parties and civil society about its potential misuse to suppress the right to protest peacefully.
Slovakia recently adopted changes to the Law on Assemblies, analysed by ECNL. Due to these changes, municipalities now have the authority to ban a protest if they cannot prevent potential clashing of two simultaneous demonstrations or when the protests are planned “in the vicinity of the home of a person whose occupation, profession or function is directly related to the purpose of the assembly.”
Interested to learn about EU legal mechanisms that protect civil society? The Handbook on How to Use EU Law to Protect Civic Space is also available in Slovak.