Kuciak's murder has raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe. It follows the October 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who had denounced corruption in Malta.



Slovak Police commander Tibor Gaspar, has said the motive for murder was "most likely" related to Kuciak's investigative journalism.



Hours before the funeral, police released seven Italian nationals named in Kuciak's report and who were detained Thursday, a day after it was posthumously published.



Thousands flocked to candlelit anti-corruption vigils for the murdered journalist held Friday across Slovakia, an EU and NATO country of 5.4 million people.



Slovak media reported that among those held was businessman Antonino Vadala -- the owner of several companies -- and some of his relatives, alleged by Kuciak to have links to the mafia and contacts in the Slovak government.

...</s>Slain Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak was laid to rest in his wedding suit on Saturday as police released seven Italians detained after they were named in his explosive report on alleged high-level corruption linked to Italy's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia.

Kuciak's murder has raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe. It follows the October 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who had denounced corruption in Malta.

Kuciak's burial in the northern Slovak village of Stiavnik came a day after his fiancee Martina Kusnirova was laid to rest in her wedding gown in the northern town of Gregorovce. The couple, both 27, were to marry in May.

The ceremony began with the reading of a poem written by Jan for his fiancee that he had planned to read at their wedding.

Leading the funeral mass, Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky told hundreds of mourners packed into the local Roman Catholic church that "if the murderer thought he was able to silence Jan, he was wrong.

"He achieved the opposite. An attack on a journalist is also an attack on the freedom of our country. We must not allow it."

Slovak Police commander Tibor Gaspar, has said the motive for murder was "most likely" related to Kuciak's investigative journalism.

In Italy, prosecutors have suggested that the 'Ndrangheta may have been behind the killing of Kuciak and his fiancee who were found dead at their home near Bratislava on Sunday.

Kuciak was about to publish an article that raised possible political links between Italian businessmen operating in Slovakia and the 'Ndrangheta.

Hours before the funeral, police released seven Italian nationals named in Kuciak's report and who were detained on Thursday, a day after it was posthumously published.

Police investigators said that after "checking the facts" they were unable to bring charges within the legal 48-hour detention period.

Thousands flocked to candlelit anti-corruption vigils for the murdered journalist held on Friday across Slovakia, an EU and NATO country of 5.4 million people.

Leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the opposition of using the murder as a "political tool to get people out on the streets and gain power".

The latest protests echoed a wave of anti-graft rallies by mostly young Slovaks last year demanding the dismissal of senior police officials and ministers in Fico's government for alleged foot-dragging on fighting corruption.

The seven Italians were taken into custody on Thursday in police raids in the eastern town of Michalovce.

Slovak media reported that among those held was businessman Antonino Vadala -- the owner of several companies -- and some of his relatives, alleged by Kuciak to have links to the mafia and contacts in the Slovak government.

The allegations in Kuciak's report triggered an angry rebuke from Fico, who showed reporters stacks of euro bills totalling the one-million-euro ($1.2-million) reward he has offered for information that could lead to the killers.

Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said on Facebook on Thursday that Italian police, Europol, the FBI and Scotland Yard pledged to help Slovak investigators.

Two close Fico associates were forced to resign after the article was posthumously published on Wednesday, while one minister quit in protest.

Echoing opposition parties, the leader of Most Hid, a junior partner in Fico's three-party coalition, has also demanded Interior Minister Robert Kalinak resign.

The party said Saturday it would meet on March 12 to decide whether to quit the coalition after Kalinak refused to step down on Saturday.

Fico once told journalists they were "dirty, anti-Slovak prostitutes", but he vowed his government was committed to the "protection of freedom of speech and the safety of journalists" in the wake of the murder.

Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP he had asked Fico on Friday in Bratislava to "clearly express his regrets" for having publicly insulted journalists, something the RSF chief called "dangerous".

Fico's office later issued a statement saying that there was "no call on the PM to apologise to journalists", denying Deloire's claim.

But contacted by AFP, Harlem Desir, the Freedom of the Media representative at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, confirmed that Deloire had called on Fico to apologise to journalists.

The European Parliament is expected to send a fact-finding mission to Slovakia as early as next week, German MEP Ingeborg Grassle said on Saturday.</s>People in Bratislava hold a vigil for murdered Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner Martina Kusnirova. Photo: Vladimir Simicek/AFP

Slovak police said on Thursday they detained several Italian businessmen named by murdered journalist Jan Kuciak as having mafia connections in an explosive investigative report on alleged high-level corruption.

"I can confirm that these raids and detentions are being carried out in several places," police commander Tibor Gaspar told reporters.

He said those taken into custody during raids in the eastern town of Michalovice were "persons mentioned" by Kuciak in connection with the "Italian track".

Slovak media reported that among those held was businessman Antonino Vadala, the owner of several companies, and several relatives, alleged by Kuciak to have links to Italy's notorious 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate and contacts in the Slovak government.

"Physical evidence and individuals are being detained, they will be interrogated," Gaspar said.
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An article by Kuciak, which was posthumously published Wednesday by aktuality.sk, focused on fraud cases allegedly involving Vadala, and said he was linked to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's entourage.

Maria Troskova, a close Fico aide, was forced out after Kuciak alleged she had ties to Vadala, purportedly involved with the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate.

Kuciak, 27, and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova were found shot dead at his home on Sunday, raising concerns about media freedoms and corruption in Slovakia and sparking a wave of international condemnation.

A protest in the capital Bratislava called by a conservative opposition party drew around 1,000 people on Wednesday night.

The march was the first of several planned to honour Kuciak and protest against graft in the small EU state. Other anti-corruption protests are being planned across Slovakia and in Prague, London and The Hague for Friday.



 A memorial to journalist Jan Kuciak in his newsroom. Photo: Vladimir Simicek/AFP</s>The fiancee of a slain Slovak investigative journalist was laid to rest in her wedding gown on Friday, as hundreds of mourners flocked to her funeral in the northern Slovak town of Gregorovce, local media reported.

Police found journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, both 27, shot dead at their home near the capital Bratislava on Sunday.

The murders have sparked nationwide protests and a wave of international condemnation amid concerns about media freedom and corruption in Slovakia.

Kuciak was gunned down as he was about to publish an article that raised possible political links to Italian businessmen with alleged ties to Calabria's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia supposedly operating in Slovakia.

Slovak police on Thursday detained several Italian businessmen named by Kuciak in his explosive report published posthumously earlier this week.

Kuciak died from a gunshot wound to the chest while Kusnirova was shot in the head, police said.

The couple were to be wed in May. Kuciak's funeral will be held on Saturday in the northern village of Stiavnik, near the Czech border.

Addressing mourners gathered in the local Roman Catholic church in Gregorovce, the priest performing Kusnirova's funeral called the mafia "an institutionalised evil", adding that "only the devil can kill young people".

Thousands were expected to attend candlelit anti-corruption protests and memorials across Slovakia on Friday evening, as well as in cities outside the country including Prague, London and The Hague.</s>Slovak police has released seven Italian citizens detained in connection with the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, local media reported Saturday.

Kuciak and his fiancée, both 27, were found dead in their home in Veľká Mača on Sunday. He was investigating links between Italian mafia group ‘Ndrangheta and businessmen in Slovakia at the time of his death. The unfinished story was published online posthumously.

His murder, which marks the first killing of a journalist in Slovakia, was “probably related to his journalistic activity,” the chief of police said earlier this week.

None of the seven suspects arrested this week were charged, according to reports.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 people took the streets across Slovakia on Friday to take part in protest vigils in Kuciak’s memory, with some calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico, BBC reported.</s>Police in Slovakia have released seven Italians who were detained as suspects in the slayings of an investigative journalist and his girlfriend.

The seven men were taken into custody Thursday when police raided houses allegedly linked to members of an Italian crime syndicate.

Police confirmed their release Saturday but gave no details. The men range in age from 26 to 62. State prosecutors declined to comment.

Journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner, Martina Kusnirova, were found shot in their house Sunday. Kuciak was working on a story about the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and its possible ties to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Kuciak's funeral is scheduled for later Saturday.

The FBI, Britain's Scotland Yard and Europol are helping with Slovak police with the investigation.</s>(Michal Smrcok/News and Media Holding via AP). Policemen guard the entrance to offices of news website Aktuality.sk, the employer of the murdered investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. Slovakia's top polic...

(Michal Smrcok/News and Media Holding via AP). Candles and flowers lay by the entrance to offices of news website Aktuality.sk, the employer of the murdered investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. Slovakia'...

(AP Photo/Bundas Engler). People place light tributes during a silent protest in memory of murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. Investigative journalist Kuciak was sh...

PRAGUE (AP) - Tens of thousands of Slovaks marched in a national rally Friday to honor journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend, who were shot dead as Kuciak was working on a story about the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia.

In the capital of Bratislava, President Andrej Kiska asked a crowd estimated at 20,000 people to observe a minute of silence for the two, whose bodies were found Sunday in their house in Velka Maca, east of Bratislava.

Similar marches were being held in some 25 towns and cities across the country and in cities abroad, including London, Paris and Brussels.

Alongside the photos of the 27-year-old journalist, protesters displayed banners saying "I am angry," ''Mafia get out of my country," and "An attack on journalists = an attack on us all."

After a peaceful march, some in Bratislava moved to the government office to urge Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's government to resign.

Earlier Friday, a top anti-Mafia fighter said Italian prosecutors had warned Slovak authorities about "dangerous" infiltration by a powerful Italian organized crime syndicate even before Kuciak was slain.

"We warned authorities in Bratislava, but unfortunately they didn't heed us" about the 'ndrangheta crime syndicate's expansion into Slovakia, Franco Roberti, recently retired as Italy's national anti-Mafia prosecutor, told Italian radio.

"According to my information, it's not true," he said.

On Thursday, Slovak police raided houses linked to the alleged members of the syndicate in connection with the slayings. Seven men were detained in the raids in the eastern Slovak towns of Michalovce and Trebisov.

Roberti said the 'ndrangheta might have killed Kuciak because "there was no other way to silence" him.

He added the "corruption" of local officials plays a big role in the 'ndrangheta's activities abroad.

One of those detained Thursday was Antonino Vadala, an Italian who did business with at least two officials close to Fico, the prime minister. Those two officials resigned Wednesday.

The FBI and Britain's Scotland Yard, along with the Czech and Italian police and Europol, are helping Slovak authorities investigate the killings.

Also Friday, the secretary general of Reporters Without Borders met with Fico and urged him to apologize for insulting journalists. Christophe Deloire deplored what he called the "appalling climate for journalists" created by government leaders in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Fico is known for his numerous attacks on the media.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Stiavnik (Slovakia) (AFP) - Slain Slovak investigative journalist was laid to rest in his wedding suit on Saturday as hundreds of mourners packed a Roman Catholic church in the northern Slovak village of Stiavnik, an AFP journalist reported.

Kuciak's burial comes a day after his fiancee Martina Kusnirova was laid to rest in her wedding gown in the northern town of Gregorovce. The couple, both 27, were to marry in May.

The ceremony began with the reading of a poem written by Jan for his fiancee that he had planned to read at their wedding.

Kuciak was gunned down as he was about to publish an article raising possible political links to Italian businessmen with alleged ties to the 'Ndrangheta supposedly operating in Slovakia.

Just hours before his funeral Slovak police released seven Italians detained after they were named by Kuciak in his explosive report on alleged high-level corruption linked to Italy's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia.

Leading the funeral mass, Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky told mourners that "if the murderer thought he was able to silence Jan, he was wrong.

"He achieved the opposite. An attack on a journalist is also an attack on the freedom of our country, we must not allow it."

Slovak Police commander Tibor Gaspar, has said the motive behind his murder was "most likely" related to Kuciak's investigative journalism.

In Italy, prosecutors have suggested that the 'Ndrangheta may have been behind the killing of Kuciak and his fiancee whom police found dead at their home near Bratislava on Sunday.

Their murder has raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe. It comes just months after the October 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who had denounced corruption in Malta.

Thousands flocked to candlelit anti-corruption protests and memorials held across Slovakia on Friday.

Organisers estimated that around 25,000 people gathered in the capital Bratislava, while thousands met in a dozen other cities and towns across the EU and NATO country of 5.4 million people.

Thousands of mostly young Slovaks joined anti-graft rallies last year demanding the dismissal of senior government and police officials for alleged foot-dragging on fighting graft.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the opposition of using the murder as a "political tool to get people out on the streets and gain power".

Two of his close aides were for forced to resign Wednesday after Kuciak alleged they had ties to Italians purportedly involved with the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate. Both have denied any wrongdoing.</s>Police in Slovakia have released all seven people detained in connection with the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend. “During the legal timeframe – 48 hours – (police) checked and searched for facts needed for an indictment. After the 48 hours passed, the persons were released from detention,” police spokeswoman Denisa Baloghova said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters. The two were found shot dead in their home last weekend, representing the first murder of a journalist in the country. Kuciak had been looking into suspected mafia links among Italian businessmen in eastern Slovakia at the time of his death.</s>PRAGUE (AP) — Tens of thousands of Slovaks marched in a national rally Friday to honor journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend, who were shot dead as Kuciak was working on a story about the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia.

In the capital of Bratislava, President Andrej Kiska asked a crowd estimated at 20,000 people to observe a minute of silence for the two, whose bodies were found Sunday in their house in Velka Maca, east of Bratislava.

Similar marches were being held in some 25 towns and cities across the country and in cities abroad, including London, Paris and Brussels.

Alongside the photos of the 27-year-old journalist, protesters displayed banners saying "I am angry," ''Mafia get out of my country," and "An attack on journalists = an attack on us all."

After a peaceful march, some in Bratislava moved to the government office to urge Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's government to resign.

Earlier Friday, a top anti-Mafia fighter said Italian prosecutors had warned Slovak authorities about "dangerous" infiltration by a powerful Italian organized crime syndicate even before Kuciak was slain.

"We warned authorities in Bratislava, but unfortunately they didn't heed us" about the 'ndrangheta crime syndicate's expansion into Slovakia, Franco Roberti, recently retired as Italy's national anti-Mafia prosecutor, told Italian radio.

"According to my information, it's not true," he said.

On Thursday, Slovak police raided houses linked to the alleged members of the syndicate in connection with the slayings. Seven men were detained in the raids in the eastern Slovak towns of Michalovce and Trebisov.

Roberti said the 'ndrangheta might have killed Kuciak because "there was no other way to silence" him.

He added the "corruption" of local officials plays a big role in the 'ndrangheta's activities abroad.

One of those detained Thursday was Antonino Vadala, an Italian who did business with at least two officials close to Fico, the prime minister. Those two officials resigned Wednesday.

The FBI and Britain's Scotland Yard, along with the Czech and Italian police and Europol, are helping Slovak authorities investigate the killings.

Also Friday, the secretary general of Reporters Without Borders met with Fico and urged him to apologize for insulting journalists. Christophe Deloire deplored what he called the "appalling climate for journalists" created by government leaders in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Fico is known for his numerous attacks on the media.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
On the day of the funeral of slain journalist Ján Kuciak, for lack of evidence, police release seven Italian nationals who are accused of links with the 'Ndrangheta mafia in a posthumously published investigative report by Kuciak.