Good – albeit rainy – day from Bratislava, and welcome to your Tuesday edition of Today in Slovakia.
While umbrellas popped open across Slovakia, all eyes turned to a courtroom where one of the most closely guarded criminal cases in recent Slovak history finally came into public view.
The trial of Juraj Cintula, the man accused of shooting Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2024, began Tuesday – and with it, the country got its first detailed look at what really happened that day in Handlová, and in the months of silence that followed.
Coming up on Wednesday: Testimony from additional witnesses, the playback of Fico’s police interview, more forensic analysis, and a sharpening legal debate over whether Cintula’s act meets the legal threshold for terrorism.
But first – let’s break down everything that emerged on Day One of the trial.
The Cintula trial begins
Juraj Cintula appeared in court in Banská Bystrica on 8 July 2025. (source: SME – Jozef Jakubčo)
Juraj Cintula, 72, was escorted into the Specialised Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica on Tuesday, shackled and flanked by armed officers. With cameras clicking and courtroom tension rising, he shouted into the humid morning air: “Long live democracy! Long live free culture!”
He stands accused of attempting to assassinate PM Robert Fico. Prosecutors are charging him with an act of terrorism.
“I am not a terrorist,” Juraj Cintula said in court, adding that he shot at the prime minister because he was “strangling culture”.
The case file reportedly spans 18 volumes and over 6,000 pages. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
INSIDE THE COURTROOM
Fico: not in the room: The prime minister did not attend the first day of the trial. Represented by attorney Dávid Lindtner, Fico agreed to allow details from his private medical records to be read aloud. The court is expected to play a pre-recorded audio statement from him on Wednesday.
But although he was physically absent, Fico’s voice has been anything but quiet. He has long claimed that the attacker’s motives were fuelled by a climate of hatred stirred by the media and political opposition.
“The defendant is a victim and product of an active media campaign, propaganda, and the false narratives spread by the progressive political opposition,” said Lindtner.
The security presence: Cintula, in a blue prison shirt, was closely monitored by four officers from the prison service. One sat beside him, two flanked him from behind, and a fourth watched from across the courtroom. When Cintula stood unprompted once to address the bench, officers jumped up instantly.
An empty chair reserved for Prime Minister Robert Fico (source: SME – Jozef Jakubčo)
THE CASE, RECONSTRUCTED
What happened in Handlová: On 15 May 2024, during a government outreach event in the central Slovak town of Handlová, Cintula drew a pistol and fired five shots at close range toward PM Fico.
The damage: Three to four of those shots hit. One, in particular, devastated Fico’s body. Forensic expert Norbert Moravanský detailed a high-energy 9mm round that: entered the abdominal cavity, passed through the colon, injured tissue surrounding the bladder, fractured the hip socket and left thigh bone, and lodged in the left gluteal area.
The bullet missed the iliac artery by mere millimetres – a strike that would almost certainly have been fatal.
Additional injuries included: a through-and-through shot to the left forearm, a gunshot wound to the right big toe (likely a ricochet), and a surface wound on the forehead, possibly caused by flying debris.
BEHIND THE WALL OF SILENCE
Why we are only hearing this now: For over a year, the public knew little of Fico’s medical condition. That was due to a strict information embargo imposed by General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka. Doctors were silenced. Briefings came only from Robert Kaliňák, fuelling speculation – and in some corners, conspiracies – that the shooting had been exaggerated or faked.
Tuesday marked the first time the official forensic report was disclosed. It left no room for doubt: Fico’s life was very nearly lost.
THE RECOVERY
Fico underwent multiple surgeries in Banská Bystrica.
He was released into home care on 30 May 2024.
Recovery took 8 to 10 weeks.
His left hip remains impaired. A replacement may be necessary.
He suffers digestive complications linked to the trauma.
He bears scars on his abdomen, forearm, and toe.
Juraj Cintula arrives at court in Banská Bystrica. (source: SME – Jozef Jakubčo)
CINTULA’S DEFENCE
A man without remorse: Cintula declined to say whether he regrets the shooting. But he told police: “I didn’t want to kill him. I wanted to injure him so he’d never stand again.” He claimed he deliberately avoided aiming at the head or heart, fearing collateral injury. After the first shot, he said, bodyguards tackled him, knocking the weapon askew. “If I’d wanted him dead,” he told police, “he’d be dead.”
In court: Though he waived his right to testify, Cintula regularly interrupted proceedings to challenge statements: “That’s a lie.” or “I never considered suicide – that’s nonsense.”
He confirmed only one thing: his intent to harm the PM because of government policy.
PSYCH PROFILE
Not mad, but dangerous: A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation found that Cintula: has a mixed personality disorder featuring narcissistic and histrionic traits; is egocentric, manipulative, attention-seeking; has above-average intelligence; and lacks regard for social norms.
“He acted with full understanding of the consequences,” the expert wrote. “The attack was his final attempt to prove himself and influence society.”
Cintula reportedly saw the act not as terrorism – but as personal resistance.
TARGETING THE STATE, NOT EVERYONE IN IT: In court, Cintula stressed he did not oppose the current government in full. He said he found many ministers “sympathetic”, naming Jozef Ráž, Denisa Saková, Erik Tomáš, Tomáš Drucker and Tomáš Taraba.
DEAL REJECTED: Cintula offered to plead guilty in exchange for a 12-year sentence. Prosecutors refused. They’re pursuing life imprisonment on terrorism charges.
The classification was brought by Katarína Habčáková, the supervising prosecutor from the General Prosecutor’s Office’s Department for Serious Crime. It was she who reclassified the attempted assassination as an act of terrorism – a move that some legal experts view with scepticism. She is no stranger to controversy.
– Reporting sourced from SME an Denník N, curated for Today in Slovakia.
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POHODA PREVIEW 2025 Pohoda’s must-see acts, according to a devoted fan
Pohoda Festival, 12 July 2024, Trenčín (source: TASR – Jaroslav Novák)
In a personal dispatch, our Irish writer Oscar Brophy looks back on years of love, loathing, and eventual conversion at Slovakia’s Pohoda Festival. Once frustrated by the chill, he now embraces its genre-bending magic – and flags the must-see acts lighting up Trenčín this weekend.
LABOUR WATCH – WHAT WORKERS WANT IN 2025: Flexibility, purpose, and digital skills top the list, according to ManpowerGroup’s new report on global work trends. Slovakia’s labour market is shifting fast – and employers will need to keep up.
IN OTHER NEWS
FESTIVAL: Just 10 days before its scheduled start, Slovakia’s Rubicon Festival remains shrouded in uncertainty, with organisers silent and media inquiries unanswered. The site – an unharvested wheat field – is still unprepared, and concerns from veterinarians over potential animal mistreatment may further jeopardise the event, which controversially includes Kanye West on the lineup. (Closer)
FOREIGNERS: Slovakia’s Interior Ministry admits persistent staffing shortages at foreign police offices handling immigration matters. To address the bottleneck, it plans to open three additional client centres in Bratislava, Banská Bystrica, and Košice, alongside streamlining existing processes.
CABINET: Last week’s special government session, focused primarily on the automotive industry, was the final meeting before the summer break. The next regular cabinet meeting is scheduled for August 20 in Bratislava. (TASR)
FARMS: Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč (Smer) has launched a €44 million aid package for Slovak cattle farms hit by foot-and-mouth disease this spring. But farmers only received details of this aid more than three months after the first outbreak was confirmed on 21 March. (Denník N)
TRAINS: Slovakia’s national rail operator ZSSK has unveiled a new Vectron locomotive featuring a striking visual design inspired by iconic Slovak mountain peaks (Kriváň, Lomnický štít, Gerlach, Vršatec and Veľký Rozsutec). The rollout is part of a broader effort to modernise the fleet and strengthen the ZSSK brand, with up to 15 such locomotives expected in the coming years.
Peter Helexa, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko (ZSSK), stands in front of a modern Siemens Vectron locomotive during a press conference unveiling the latest Vectron engines with a new visual design, held on 8 July 2025 in Bratislava. (source: TASR – Martin Baumann)
FIRMS: In 2024, companies in Slovakia paid €3.5 billion in corporate income tax – up 3.4 percent year-on-year – despite a 3.5 percent drop in net profit and a slight 0.3 percent decline in revenues. The data comes from a FinStat analysis based on financial statements published by the end of June.
MEETING: After meeting with Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová, President Peter Pellegrini issued a brief statement highlighting his interest in cultural funding and minority support. Šimkovičová described the discussion as “very pleasant”. Pellegrini openly criticised the minister in the recent past.
FESTIVAL: After Massive Attack cancelled their headline slot at Pohoda Festival, organisers quickly announced a major replacement: British music legend Damon Albarn will perform with his international collective, Africa Express, on the main stage this weekend.
UKRAINE: Slovakia’s Agricultural and Food Chamber has strongly rejected the European Commission’s proposal to significantly raise import quotas for agri-food products from Ukraine. The organisation warns that such a move would pose a serious threat to both Slovak and EU farmers. (TASR)
EU: The EU Council has granted Slovakia and 14 other member states a four-year exemption from budget rules to allow increased defence spending of up to 1.5 percent of GDP. The move lets countries boost military investment without triggering excessive deficit procedures under the Stability and Growth Pact. (ČTK)
WEDNESDAY WEATHER BRIEFING: Slovakia will wake up to a grey, soggy morning. Expect clouds, widespread rain and scattered showers. Daytime highs will struggle between 15°C and 22°C. Sweater weather in July? Apparently. (SHMÚ)
Rain and wind warnings of varying severity will be in effect across multiple regions of Slovakia on Wednesday. (source: SHMÚ)
WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN BRATISLAVA: Jazz lovers in the capital are in for a treat this Wednesday, 9 July at 19:00, as Peter Lipa and his son Peter Lipa Jr. take over the ArtVinotéka Wine Garden for a laid-back evening of music, wine and conversation. Tickets via GoOut.sk.
ON THE NAME DAY RADAR: It is Lujza’s turn in the spotlight on Wednesday. Got one in your contacts? Time for a cheerful všetko najlepšie!
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