Slovakian far-right leader loses mandate as MP over neo-Nazi symbols, court decides
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- 06 Apr 2022
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Marian Kotleba was found guilty by Slovakia's Supreme Court of supporting a movement "aimed at suppressing fundamental human rights".
But judges dismissed a lower court ruling that convicted the MP of illegally using neo-Nazi symbols.
Kotleba stood trial after he presented three families with checks for €1,488 euros in March 2017 on the anniversary of the Slovak wartime state’s establishment in 1939.
The number 1,488 has a symbolic meaning for neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
Kotleba -- the head of the far-right People’s Party Our Slovakia (LSNS) -- was convicted and originally sentenced to four years and four months in prison.
But on appeal, the Supreme Court reduced his sentence while upholding his conviction for neo-Nazi sympathies. The ruling means he will lose his seat in Slovakia's parliament.
LSNS -- whose Eurosceptic members use Nazi salutes -- was the fourth-most popular party in the country in the 2020 parliamentary election with 8% support.
Kotleba and his party’s members openly back Slovakia's legacy during World War II, when it served as a Nazi puppet state. Read More…
