A Murdered Journalist's Last Investigation

Project
Published: February 26, 2018

Banner: Edin Pašović, OCCRP

In late February 2018, Jan Kuciak, a young Slovak investigative journalist, was shot dead. His fiancée was killed alongside him.

Before his death, Kuciak had been working with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and his outlet, Aktuality.sk, on an in-depth investigation about the Italian ‘Ndrangheta, one of the world’s most powerful and fearsome criminal groups, and their infiltration into his country.

His reporting — now forever unfinished — was carried out in collaboration with two OCCRP partners: the Czech Center for Investigative Journalism (CCIJ) and the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI).

Jan’s final stories, published to honor his memory, set the record straight, and minimize the danger to his colleagues, appear below.

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Reactions

The EU cannot accept that a journalist is killed for doing his job. I call on Slovak authorities to launch a thorough investigation, with international support, if needed, for Jan Kuciak.

Antonio Tajani, President, European Parliament

I am shaken and terrified that something like this could happen in Slovakia. The coldblooded murder of young people is an atrocity that has to be punished. We have to find the people who did this and secure the safety of journalists.

Andrej Kiska, President of Slovakia

Slovakia can’t be a country where journalists are murdered.

Lucia Zitnanska, Justice Minister of Slovakia

In open, democratic societies journalists must be able to work freely and safely. This horrific crime calls for a determined investigation and the swift prosecution of those responsible.

US Ambassador to Slovakia Adam Sterling

The killing or intimidation of journalists has no place in Europe, no place in any democracy.

Jean-Claude Juncker, President, European Commission

We cannot accept a new reality in which journalists become regular targets for attack because of their investigative work.

Harlem Desir, OSCE representative on freedom of the media

The murder of a journalist is a serious signal that crime is directed against one of the main pillars of freedom: freedom of expression and the right of citizens to control the powerful and those who violate laws. We, the editors-in-chief, are calling on the state to take all the necessary steps - not only in the search for the perpetrators, but also to create safe working conditions for journalists.

Group of Slovak editors-in-chief

We take this murder as an unprecedented act against investigative journalism and free media in Slovakia. We call on the authorities to enforce the law and investigate the murder of these two persons. All attacks against journalists in our country must stop.

Slovakian Union of Journalists

If the link to [Jan’s] death due to his investigative work is proven, this would be a very worrying signal for journalism in the European Union. We urge the authorities to resolve the case and make sure that the mastermind is brought to justice.

Mogens Blicher Bjerregard, President, European Union of Journalists

This murder was an attack on the basic principle of a lawful democratic state and on freedom of speech and the press, which are among the constitutional rights of Slovak citizens. This is clearly also a dire consequence of the climate engendered by systematic long-term aggressive verbal attacks on journalists by various leading state representatives. At the same time, we are asking precisely how Slovakia protects those who put themselves at risk when uncovering anti-social activities or wrongdoing?

Slovak Section, Association of European Journalists