Jan Kuciak was only 27 years old but was already a leading journalist in his country, Slovakia. He worked on investigations for the website Aktuality.sk — uncomfortable and complex investigations. He was killed alongside his partner Martina Kusnirova in their home, 65 kilometres from the capital Bratislava. And according to initial police reconstructions, the double murder was "very probably" linked to the work the young man had been carrying out.

The alarm was raised by Martina's mother on Monday 26 February. Having had no news of the two for several days, she called for help, but it was already too late: the autopsies will need to determine the exact date of death, which is thought to have occurred between 22 and 25 February. What is known is that he was killed by a gunshot to the chest, and she by a bullet to the head.

"Journalists? Filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes"

The affair appears particularly tangled and may even reach as far as Italian organised crime. All of this within a complex context such as that of Slovakia: following the return to power of populist Robert Fico in March 2016, backed by a coalition that also includes the far right, the local press has published numerous investigations linked to corruption dealings involving the government. Its leader, during several press conferences, heavily insulted journalists who called him to account for such allegations: "You are filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes."

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Murdered Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak was about to publish an investigation probing local politicians’ links to the Italian mafia, his employer reveals u.afp.com/owq2

37 1 28 feb 2018 · Apri su X →

Kuciak had published in particular a series of investigations into suspected tax fraud allegedly involving Ladislav Basternak, owner of a property complex where the prime minister lives. In September 2017, the journalist had also named a businessman, Marian Kocner, likewise the owner of a flat in the building: this reportedly led to threats and a formal complaint by Kuciak. The latter had stated, however, that he had received no response from the police 44 days after filing the report.

slovacchia robert fico — Slovak prime minister Robert Fico © Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Jan Kuciak was working on a suspected fraud involving EU funds and the 'ndrangheta

But the Aktuality.sk reporter had also focused on another Slovak oligarch considered close to the government, Miroslav Bodor. And he had recently begun working on a suspected fraud linked to EU funds, at the centre of which was allegedly the 'ndrangheta. The fact that Kuciak had turned his spotlight towards mafia activities was confirmed by Tom Nicholson, an Anglo-Canadian investigative journalist with an in-depth knowledge of Slovakia. For now, however, it is not possible to state with certainty the motives for the murder. "Although the theory of an order from Italian organised crime appears the most probable," Pauline Adès-Mével, head of the EU-Balkans area for the organisation Reporters Without Borders, told the French daily Libération, "we must wait before drawing any conclusions.

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VIDEO: Mourners gather in honour of slain 27-year-old Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak, who investigated high-ranking officials, tycoons and the mafia

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What is clear is that investigative journalism is under terrible threat in Slovakia." "90 per cent of journalist killings," added Gabriel Sipos of the NGO Transparency International, "occur in countries where corruption is particularly strong. But we must nonetheless remain cautious. What we know is that Kuciak was working on a completely unprecedented dossier." Last October in Malta, Daphne Caruana Galizia had been blown up: she too had exposed numerous corruption scandals on the island.

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The government offers a reward to anyone who helps identify the killers

Meanwhile, in Slovakia the opposition is pointing the finger at Fico and his "verbal attacks on the press, which have helped foster a climate of hatred." The government, for its part, announced a reward of one million euros for anyone who provides information capable of identifying the perpetrators of the crime. It simultaneously called for the affair not to be exploited for political ends. More direct was European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who said that "the EU cannot accept that a journalist is killed for doing his job. I am calling on the Slovak authorities to order a thorough investigation and to seek support at international level if necessary."

"Journalists? Filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes"

Jan Kuciak was working on a suspected fraud involving EU funds and the 'ndrangheta

The government offers a reward to anyone who helps identify the killers

Opening image taken from Facebook.

Who was Jan Kuciak, the investigative journalist murdered in Slovakia — and what does the Italian mafia have to do with it