Thousands of Slovaks marched through the streets of Bratislava and Košice to protest against an amendment to a government bill on non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Critics compare the proposed regulation to the Russian „foreign agents” law.

If the amendment is passed, NGOs that directly or indirectly influence politicians would be required to prepare a special report on their “transparency” and disclose who provided them with funding.

Pushing the law through is part of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s long-standing efforts to crack down on NGOs and independent media.

In 2023, Fico pledged to end the “supremacy of NGOs” in Slovakia by introducing legislation that would label them as foreign agents if they received funding from abroad. The amendment is currently in its second reading in the Bratislava legislature.

This did not sit well with the European Commission, which warned Slovakia in its 2024 rule of law report that if the government continued to push the original bill, the EU would take immediate legal action.

Numerous NGOs and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have condemned the draft law.

„The law was copied from Russia”

Lucia Stasselova from the initiative Peace for Ukraine, which is organizing nationwide protests, called the bill “a tool for the systematic dismantling of civil society.”

“This law was copied from Russia, where similar regulations have been used to destroy independent organizations, imprison opposition figures, silence the media, and impose repression. We do not agree for Slovakia to go down this path,” she said.

Fico stated that he respects people’s right to protest but rejected comparisons to the Russian law. “[The protesters] have run out of issues to protest about, so now they’re just making up another lie,” he added.

Stasselova said the most dangerous aspect of the bill is that it “stigmatizes and criminalizes NGOs receiving foreign funding, even if the funds come from the EU or grants supporting education, environmental protection, or anti-corruption efforts.”

“The government would gain the power to interfere in their activities, impose fines, or even shut them down,” she added.