Unfinished Lives, Unfinished Justice
Credit:
OCCRP
Published:
February
18,
2019
One year ago, a former policeman slipped into the home investigative journalist Ján Kuciak shared with his fiancee, Martina Kušnírová, and shot them both at close range, authorities say.
But bullets could not kill their legacy.
Thousands of the couple’s fellow Slovaks flooded the streets of Bratislava to demand justice. Prime Minister Robert Fico and three of his ministers were among those who resigned amid public accusations that the state was either negligent or complicit in the deaths.
Now, OCCRP, IRPI, Investigace.cz, and the Investigative Centre of Ján Kuciak are publishing new findings based on Ján’s reporting about organized crime in Slovakia and its ties to politics and law enforcement. The stories also reveal chilling new information about how he and Martina died.
Like their lives, justice is unfinished: Though four people are awaiting trial on charges related to the murders, the masterminds have gone unpunished.
In memory of Ján and Martina, journalists at OCCRP, its member centers, and its partners will continue reporting on the nexus of organized crime and corruption in the heart of Europe.
Stories
The Project Team
Investigace.cz
Reporting: Pavla Holcova, Eva Kubániová
IRPI
Reporting: Cecilia Anesi, Giulio Rubino, Lorenzo Bagnoli, Luca Rinaldi
The Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak
Reporting: Katarína Jánošíková
OCCRP
Coordination: Sharon L. Lynch, Anuška Delić
Editing: Sharon L. Lynch, Jodie DeJonge, Drew Sullivan, Ilya Lozovsky
Fact Checking: Birgit Brauer, Olena LaFoy, Dima Stoianov
Illustration: Edin Pašović
Promotion: Alex Cooper
Layout: Adem Kuric, Michal "Rysiek" Wozniak
With additional research, editing, and reporting by Carlo Bonini (La Repubblica), Nathan Jaccard (OCCRP), Luis Adorno (UOL Brasil), Attila Biro (Rise Romania), Atanas Tchobanov (Bivol), Jelter Meers, Karina Shedrofsky, and Katarina Sabados (OCCRP).
With gratitude to Transcrime (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) for data research and analysis.