Can a Facebook comment cost 30,000 crowns? It can, if it contains calls for violence against Ukrainians. A resident of the Plzeň Region in the Czech Republic recently received such a sentence, and this case sets an important precedent for Slovakia.
The court found the man guilty on several counts: making dangerous threats, inciting hatred, and justifying genocide. From April 2022 to November 2023, he posted comments on social media suggesting that Ukrainians should have their “throats slit” or be “doused with boiling water and stuffed into a freezer.” He threatened supporters of Ukraine with physical violence.
In court, the defendant attempted to justify his actions by claiming that he had been “provoked by biased news reports” and that he had actually meant only “Ukraine’s political and military leadership.” The court rejected these arguments. The man was fined 30,000 Czech korunas (approximately €1,200). The verdict is final, as both sides declined to appeal.
What about Slovakia?
Although this case took place in the Czech Republic, Slovak law also treats such statements as a criminal offense. Freedom of speech, guaranteed by the constitution, is not absolute and does not extend to hate speech.
The Slovak Criminal Code contains several relevant articles, including:
- Hanobenie národa, rasy a presvedčenia (§ 423) — defamation of a nation, race, or belief.
- Podnecovanie k národnostnej, rasovej a etnickej nenávisti (§ 424)—incitement to national, racial, and ethnic hatred.
Such crimes, especially when committed publicly—for example, online—are punishable by penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment for several years.
New Law Against Online Hate
Slovak authorities are responding to the rise in aggression in the online space. The Ministry of the Interior has announced the drafting of a new law to more effectively combat hate speech online. The legislation is based on successful models from Germany and Austria.
The main goal of the initiative is to compel social media platforms to remove illegal content more quickly and to make it easier to hold the authors of such comments accountable. This means that anonymity online will no longer guarantee impunity. The Slovak police have repeatedly emphasized that online statements can have real legal consequences.
The Czech verdict sends a clear signal to all of Central Europe: incitement to violence and hate speech, even from behind a computer screen, are serious crimes for which one will be held accountable.
