Slovakia Faces Fresh Frustration as Retrial of Jan Kuciak Murder Mastermind Nears After Previous Acquittals

January 23, 2026 – Slovakia –

Slovakia’s long-running quest for justice in the 2018 assassination of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kusnirova, has entered another complex phase, with a third retrial of the alleged mastermind, businessman Marián Kočner, approaching amid deep concerns about persistent impunity in crimes against journalists. Kuciak’s murder — which shocked Slovakia, triggered mass protests and contributed to a political crisis — remains only partially resolved years later.

Kuciak, a reporter for Aktuality.sk known for exposing corruption and connections between political and business elites, was shot dead in February 2018 alongside Kusnirova at their home near Bratislava. Several individuals directly involved in carrying out the killing — including hitmen and an intermediary — were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, but efforts to convict the person alleged to have ordered the murder have repeatedly faltered.

Businessman Marián Kočner, long suspected as the orchestrator of the assassination due to threats linked to Kuciak’s reporting, and his associate Alena Zsuzsová have been at the centre of a protracted judicial saga. In the first trial in 2020, both were acquitted by the Special Criminal Court, a verdict widely condemned by media freedom groups as a significant setback. That decision was overturned on appeal, and the case was reassigned for retrial after the Slovak Supreme Court found procedural and evidentiary errors.

A subsequent retrial again resulted in Kočner’s acquittal while convicting Zsuzsová on related charges, an outcome prompting “profound disappointment” from international press freedom and journalist organisations, which called the ruling “another devastating blow to the fight for full justice” and renewed appeals for accountability. Critics contended that the evidence against Kočner was sufficient to proceed but was not adequately weighed by judges, underscoring ongoing challenges in prosecuting those who allegedly order attacks on journalists.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged the court handling the most recent retrial, scheduled to begin deliberations in late January 2026, to “learn from the errors of previous trials” and to examine all evidence thoroughly, signalling international scrutiny of Slovakia’s handling of the case and its broader implications for press freedom in Europe. Advocates stress that securing a conviction of the individual alleged to have masterminded the assassination is crucial not only for Kuciak’s family but also for reinforcing protections for journalists in democratic societies.

As the retrial approaches, the international community and free-press defenders continue to follow developments closely, viewing the case as a test of Slovakia’s judicial independence and commitment to ending impunity for crimes against journalists.

Reference –

https://rsf.org/en/slovakia-retrial-alleged-mastermind-behind-journalist-jan-kuciak-s-assassination-approaches-rsf

Slovakia: Profound disappointment as suspected mastermind in Ján Kuciak murder acquitted again