Slovak court gives 21-year jail term to man who shot PM

Banska Bystrica, Slovakia: A Slovak court on Tuesday sentenced a gunman who shot Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico last year to 21 years in prison.

Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old poet, shot the nationalist and Kremlin-friendly Fico four times at close range on May 15, 2024, leaving him seriously wounded.

The attack occurred after a government meeting in the central Slovak mining town of Handlova as Fico walked into the street to greet supporters.

Cintula, who was detained at the scene, has said he shot Fico with the intention to wound but not kill him.

But the court found him guilty on "terror" charges, sentencing him to 21 years in a maximum-security jail.

Cintula acted "with a motivation to stop a proper functioning the government", said judge Igor Kralik reading out the verdict.

"The court had no doubt that the crime had been committed and that it was a particularly serious one," he added.

Cintula appeared calm as the verdict was read out, looking away from the packed room.

His lawyer Namir Alyasry told reporters after the hearing that he would "most likely appeal" the verdict.

'Worth it'

The trial, at a special penal court in the central city of Banska Bystrica, began in July.

Fico himself did not testify but he gave a video statement to investigators after the attack, which was played in court.

Prosecutors originally charged Cintula with premeditated murder but they later reclassified the shooting as a "terror" attack, citing his political motivation.

"It was worth it," local media quoted Cintula as shouting as he left court earlier this month after giving his closing trial statement.

After the shooting, Cintula told police he wanted to protest against steps taken by Fico's government, including the halting of military aid to war-ravaged Ukraine, according to a leaked video.

Fico underwent two lengthy operations and returned to work two months after he was shot.

The 61-year-old is serving a fourth term as prime minister at the head of a three-party coalition that has governed the EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people since 2023.

Since his return to office, Fico's government has launched a crackdown on non-profit organisations, cultural institutions and some media outlets it deems "hostile", sparking protests in the heavily polarised country.

Last month, parliament approved a constitutional amendment to limit LGBTQ rights as part of a sweeping change that also sees national law take precedence over European Union law.

Russia ties

Fico's fostering of ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin has also led to protests by thousands of Slovaks under the slogan of "Slovakia is Europe".

In his final trial statement, a visibly emotional Cintula told the court he had been motivated by "moral despair".

He called his defence "a manifesto... for all those who feel that the arrogance of power, corruption and lies has no place in the country where our children will grow up".

Once a Fico fan, Cintula changed his mind when, as he put it, the prime minister, "drunk with power, started to bend the truth", making "irrational decisions that damage this country".

Describing the attack, Cintula said he knew he "only had seconds to decide" as he stood in the crowd facing Fico.

"The premier... embodied years of accumulated frustration and despair," Cintula said.

Fico has accused Cintula of being a "product of hatred, an assassin created by media and the opposition".