The hateful reactions and threats that his office has been receiving in recent days are related to the public debate that, according to him, was sparked by some coalition politicians with their statements about the “Islamization of Slovakia”.
Most recently, the ombudsman was sharply criticized by the Minister of Defense Robert Kaliňák and the Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok and accused him of wanting to promote the construction of mosques in Slovakia. They responded to his initiative to the Constitutional Court, in which he challenged the Slovak conditions for the registration of churches and religious societies. According to the current law, a religious group must have at least 50,000 believers with permanent residence in Slovakia in order to be recognized by the state and entitled to financial support.
Conservative and nationalist initiatives led by some politicians sharply criticize this step. They argue that the abolition or reduction of the registration quorum will open the door to the recognition of Islam as the official religion, which will lead to the building of mosques and the Islamization of the country.
What does the ombudsman criticize about the Act on Churches in Slovakia:
- In his petition to the Constitutional Court, he primarily challenges the legal requirement of at least 50,000 adult members for church registration in Slovakia.
- He considers this number to be an unconstitutional interference with the freedom of religious belief and equal treatment of religious societies.
- He claims that the high quorum set in this way discriminates against smaller religious communities and prevents them from fully exercising the rights associated with official church registration.
The Ombudsman rejects these interpretations. He emphasized that he submitted the initiative based on the request of the Old Catholic Church. According to him, however, coalition politicians are abusing the topic and raising concerns about the influx of Muslims. Dobrovodský criticizes politicians because of false rhetoric, which, according to him, contributes to the escalation of aggression against independent institutions.
“I consider such attacks extremely serious and unacceptable. The false rhetoric of public officials can directly contribute to the escalation of aggression against independent institutions and their employees,” he said on the social network, adding that he had asked for protection. The police are already dealing with the case.
According to the ombudsman, it is not only about attacks on individuals, but about a wider threat to the functioning of the state. “The current situation is not only an attack on specific people. It is an attack on the independence of human rights institutions, on the principle of separation of powers and ultimately on the rule of law itself in Slovakia. A democratic society cannot function where legal arguments are replaced by intimidation and threats,” he wrote on Facebook.
