The following text is an official press release issued by Amnesty International Slovakia, originally published in Slovak on 7 July 2025. This is a faithful English translation produced by the Slovak Media Monitor. The content has not been modified, abridged, or editorially altered.
Amnesty International Slovakia Press Release
7 July 2025
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Slovakia are facing authoritarian practices from the state, threats and harassment both online and offline, risks to their financial support, and increased state surveillance. Based on the results of a recent survey, Amnesty International Slovakia draws attention to the critical situation confronting NGOs in the country, including the application of multiple authoritarian tactics by state authorities.
In spring 2025, Amnesty International Slovakia distributed a questionnaire to civil society organisations to assess the challenges they currently face. The aim was to document specific experiences from the past 16 months (January 2024 – April 2025), in the context of several authoritarian practices deployed by the state. These included discussions and the subsequent adoption of the so-called “Lex Assassination” and “Lex NGO”, the silencing of civil society through the restriction or elimination of funding, increased bureaucratic oversight, and especially the demonisation, vilification, threats, and stigmatisation of civil society by state institutions.
This survey forms part of Amnesty International Slovakia’s long-standing commitment to protect civil society rights. Since its inception, the organisation has monitored and documented threats to human rights, including continuous pressure on NGOs and human rights defenders, particularly those advocating for the rights of minorities and disadvantaged groups in Slovakia. Given the mounting pressure over the past 16 months, the organisation has chosen to focus more closely on the broader picture of growing authoritarian tendencies within the state.
More than 120 organisations responded to the survey, representing various sectors including human rights, environmental protection, social services, and anti-corruption efforts. They were asked about specific threats and instances of harassment, both online and offline, limitations on funding, increased surveillance or monitoring by state authorities, and their ability to participate in public policy-making processes.
Harassment and Threats in Online and Offline Spaces
The Slovak Republic has an obligation to protect human rights defenders, including NGOs engaged in human rights work, and to ensure a safe environment for their activities. Instances of harassment and threats must be effectively investigated, supported by appropriate legal and institutional frameworks for reporting and inquiry, along with robust protection policies and public support. Special attention must be paid to the challenges faced by defenders of the rights of women, girls, and LGBTI+ individuals (UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, A/HRC/40/60, 2019, para. 19 and A/HRC/25/55, 2013).
It should be a given that public officials refrain from any form of harassment, intimidation or threats towards human rights defenders, including those working for human rights NGOs. However, the survey revealed that NGOs are not only targeted by hate speech from the general public, but also face harassment from politicians and influencers aligned with them.
In a 2025 survey by Amnesty International Slovakia, 35% of NGOs reported that their organisation or individual staff or members had experienced threats or harassment online over the previous 16 months, while 64% had not and 1% chose not to answer.
As many as 35% of organisations reported that they, or parts of their staff or membership, had experienced online harassment or threats in recent months (via social media, websites, and similar platforms). The perpetrators in most cases were members of the public. In some instances, organisations identified a direct link between public harassment and critical statements made about them by politicians, or noted harassment carried out by pro-government influencers. Some politicians themselves, as well as certain (disinformation) media outlets, were also cited as direct perpetrators of online abuse and threats.
The types of harassment experienced online included cyberbullying, hateful comments on social media, abusive emails, hacking attempts, doxxing, smear campaigns and videos, publication of name lists, and threats of physical violence. Several organisations indicated that such attacks occur daily and have persisted beyond the past 16 months.
In response to a question about the nature of the online threats and harassment encountered, one organisation stated:
“Threats and insults under social media posts on Facebook and Instagram, or sent via the organisation’s email. We also recorded several attempts to gain unauthorised access to our Facebook account.”
According to an Amnesty International Slovakia survey, 18% of NGOs reported experiencing offline threats or harassment between January 2024 and April 2025, 81% did not, and 1% declined to respond.
Additionally, 18% of organisations or their staff reported experiencing harassment in “offline” settings – in person, on the street, in their offices, or in public transport. This included vulgar insults, threats, personal attacks, physical assault, covert filming, stalking, and property damage.
When asked to identify the perpetrators of offline harassment, several organisations named not only private individuals but also politicians, state bodies, and persons connected to them:
“Several influencers from the disinformation scene, for example, filmed videos in front of our office in response to criticism of our work by government parties.”
As a result of this harassment, both online and offline, 31% of surveyed organisations were compelled to introduce additional security measures.
Threats to Financial Support or Its Termination
Efforts to silence and discredit civil society in Slovakia, particularly those engaged in broad human rights work, have also involved restricting long-standing financial support from the state, sometimes on a discriminatory basis. According to international human rights standards, human rights defenders have the right to seek, receive and use resources for human rights work, including funding from abroad (Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, A/RES/53/144, Article 13).
Our research indicates that over the past 16 months, civil society organisations have primarily experienced reductions in government grants or subsidies, as well as increased operational costs. Some organisations have also reported that funding through US government financial mechanisms has been suspended.
In addition to the loss of donors, one organisation highlighted difficulties in receiving foreign funding and the sense of shame encountered when engaging with international partners:
“For us, it is mostly about the shame we are now facing, and will likely continue to face abroad. We are already holding endless calls with partners outside Slovakia about what is happening here.”
More than one-third of organisations are considering scaling back their activities or reducing staff numbers due to financial pressures. At the same time, 90% of organisations rely on volunteer work. Some also noted that their full-time staff are already overstretched, and they cannot afford to hire additional personnel.
Increased State Surveillance or Monitoring
In the past 16 months, nearly one-third of NGOs reported experiencing heightened surveillance or monitoring by state institutions. Many have not yet had the opportunity to assess the practical implications of the recent amendment to the Act on Non-Profit Organisations (Act No. 109/2025 Coll.), but have expressed concern over its potential threat to their operations. The amendment introduces a number of administrative obligations that pose an excessive burden, along with broad supervisory powers for the registering authorities. It also defines NGOs as obligated entities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act (Act No. 211/2000 Coll.).
Such excessive oversight, or even the threat thereof, can have a chilling effect on civil society, diverting resources to compliance rather than advocacy. As many as 54% of organisations stated that this level of scrutiny is more intense than during the previous five-year period.
Surveillance in the past months has primarily taken the form of requests for additional documentation or unplanned audits and inspections.
Furthermore, 85% of organisations expressed concern about the future impact of the NGO law amendment, particularly regarding excessive reporting requirements and new obligations under the Freedom of Information Act.
One organisation commented:
“We have not been subject to inspections yet, but we expect they will increase. It is stressful, as we do not know what exactly will be checked or for what purpose. These may be the last moments we are able to operate with relative freedom.”
Many organisations noted that they already undergo regular independent audits and publish their funding sources on their websites or in annual reports. Some are accustomed to such oversight. Nevertheless, increased administrative burden may deter regular donors in future or create legal uncertainty:
“The new law carries serious risks, legal uncertainty, and could become a tool for harassing organisations.”
The negative discourse surrounding the justification for the amendment has the potential to undermine public trust in NGOs:
“We are concerned about increased bureaucracy, growing distrust of NGOs by the state, and the potential for greater public scepticism due to state-driven narratives.”
Outlook and Fears for the Future
Slovakia, in line with its international human rights obligations, must ensure a safe and supportive environment for NGOs and human rights defenders. State institutions must refrain from intimidation and persecution of civil society; instead, they should uphold and promote their activities, and adopt laws and policies that enable their work. However, we have long observed the opposite trend. Open or covert hate speech and stigmatising rhetoric by state officials, disinformation, silencing of critical voices, adoption of laws that contravene international standards, concentration of power, and non-transparent decision-making are all examples of such authoritarian practices.
In this context, several human rights organisations report heightened fears and concerns about the future. One respondent shared their greatest concern for 2025:
“Extreme polarisation, fragmentation and discord in society, with an inability to seek common ground or collaborate constructively across political lines. Exclusion and disregard for those who do not share the same (often fanatical, populist and ill-informed) views, and the notion that if you are not with us, you are against us – an enemy.”
In conclusion, despite the presence of authoritarian practices, ongoing uncertainty, and constant attacks from the state or segments of the public, many organisations expressed a determination to continue their vital work, support their peers, and uphold human rights in Slovakia.
“The ruthless intensification of NGO demonisation, repeated attempts to obstruct or halt their work, and the use of various authoritarian practices by the current government threaten the rights and dignity of us all. Such behaviour by politicians constitutes a betrayal of our international human rights commitments and must cease immediately. There is only one path political leaders must take without delay – to ensure that NGOs and civil society actors can carry out their work in a safe and enabling environment, free from persecution, repression, or intimidation,” stated Rado Sloboda, Director of Amnesty International Slovakia.
Amnesty International Slovakia will continue to monitor the situation, map the civic space in greater detail, and track obstacles faced by NGOs. Over the course of the year, the organisation will conduct individual interviews with selected NGOs to inform a comprehensive research report on the challenges currently confronting civil society in Slovakia.
Recommendations to the Government of the Slovak Republic
Amnesty International recommends that the Government of the Slovak Republic:
- Adhere to international human rights standards regarding freedom of assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression;
- Undertake concrete steps to investigate allegations of persecution and intimidation of human rights defenders and journalists, and refrain from such actions;
- Guarantee that human rights defenders and civil society actors in Slovakia can operate in a safe and enabling environment free from fear of persecution, repression, or any form of intimidation;
- Ensure that all laws and policies comply with international human rights standards, and amend or repeal those that do not. When drafting and implementing laws, especially those affecting human rights defenders and NGOs, ensure their effective participation and take their input into account;
- Establish sustainable and long-term institutional support, including funding mechanisms for civil society organisations and human rights defenders on a non-discriminatory basis, including members of marginalised groups.
1 Amnesty International has adopted the approach of political scientist Marlies Glasius,
who defines “authoritarian practices” as “patterns of action that sabotage accountability to people over whom a political actor exerts control, or to their representatives, through secrecy, disinformation, and the repression of freedom of expression.” Marlies Glasius: What Authoritarianism is… and is not: a practice perspective, International Affairs, Vol. 94, No. 3, 2018, pp. 515–533.
2. In 2020, Amnesty International published the report Standing for Humanity
Changing Amnesty to Overcome the Politics of ‘Us vs Them’, which reflects on the politics of demonisation and the narratives of fear and division spread by politicians and their supporters in some countries. Standing for Humanity: Changing Amnesty to Overcome the Politics of ‘Us vs Them’ [updated in November] – Amnesty International.
Source: Amesty International Slovakia
