The Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic organized an international conference
The proposal to organize a conference commemorating the 75th anniversary of the trial of Milada Horáková and others, under the auspices of the President of the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, came directly from three members of the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic: Peter Šamko, Martin Bezák, and Ludmila Joanidisová. The initial idea was unanimously supported by the Judicial Council as a collective body at its February session. To organize this conference, the Judicial Council joined with the Faculty of Law of Comenius University. “The conference took place on academic grounds, and not by chance. We wanted to point out that many of the actors, not only judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys, but even the defendants themselves, were graduates of the Faculty of Law. So, we combined the conference with the idea of pointing out who “educated” the defendants on the one hand and those who convicted them on the other. In other words, we wanted to point out that from the very beginning, emphasis should be placed on ensuring that graduates are aware of the value of their decisions and actions in the future," explained Marcela Kosová.
The conference program consisted of contributions by experts who, through their presentations, approached the trial of Milada Horáková from several perspectives. For example, they presented the social framework of the entire process, as well as legal aspects and parallels of the present day, or the power of opinion-forming media. The conference was intended for both professional and lay audiences. The conference took place in the Auditorium Maximum of the Faculty of Law of Comenius University. Interest in attending exceeded 180 visitors. "We greatly appreciate the Judicial Council as a body, its current composition, and its President. I am convinced, and not only I but also many other colleagues, that the Judicial Council is currently doing everything to promote the interests of courts and judges for the benefit of the general interest of all citizens," said Eduard Burda, Dean of the Faculty of Law of Comenius University.
The conference eventually reached an international dimension and was strongly supported by the participation of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Slovakia, Rudolf Jindrák, as well as the Minister of Justice of the Slovak Republic, Boris Susko. "The idea of organizing such a conference was very good, I would say that it is a worthy act. The connection of the Judicial Council with the Faculty of Law gives a certain seriousness and a degree of respect, which we should also express to Milada Horáková. At the same time, it is also a representative sample, as evidenced by the rich and various representation of this conference," according to Boris Susko.
"The past should teach us not to repeat its mistakes in the future. It is precisely in such political processes that many things can be learned. My speech therefore also focused on the fact that many educated people participated in political processes - prosecutors, judges, ... nevertheless, they allowed themselves to be carried away and lent themselves to the regime for political processes. Education may not even be relevant if we lack the right distance, especially in criminal law", explained Peter Šamko, who earned multiple applause during his speech. "History can always repeat itself and it usually does repeat itself. The question is to what extent and whether we are capable of preventing it. That is also why such events need to be remembered. Under normal circumstances, such a process as the one with Milada Horáková and others cannot be repeated, but the question is that we never know how history will develop. If times go crazy, we must be prepared for it", concluded Martin Bezák, a member of the Judicial Council.
The conference program consisted of contributions by experts who, through their presentations, approached the trial of Milada Horáková from several perspectives. For example, they presented the social framework of the entire process, as well as legal aspects and parallels of the present day, or the power of opinion-forming media. The conference was intended for both professional and lay audiences. The conference took place in the Auditorium Maximum of the Faculty of Law of Comenius University. Interest in attending exceeded 180 visitors. "We greatly appreciate the Judicial Council as a body, its current composition, and its President. I am convinced, and not only I but also many other colleagues, that the Judicial Council is currently doing everything to promote the interests of courts and judges for the benefit of the general interest of all citizens," said Eduard Burda, Dean of the Faculty of Law of Comenius University.
The conference eventually reached an international dimension and was strongly supported by the participation of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Slovakia, Rudolf Jindrák, as well as the Minister of Justice of the Slovak Republic, Boris Susko. "The idea of organizing such a conference was very good, I would say that it is a worthy act. The connection of the Judicial Council with the Faculty of Law gives a certain seriousness and a degree of respect, which we should also express to Milada Horáková. At the same time, it is also a representative sample, as evidenced by the rich and various representation of this conference," according to Boris Susko.
"The past should teach us not to repeat its mistakes in the future. It is precisely in such political processes that many things can be learned. My speech therefore also focused on the fact that many educated people participated in political processes - prosecutors, judges, ... nevertheless, they allowed themselves to be carried away and lent themselves to the regime for political processes. Education may not even be relevant if we lack the right distance, especially in criminal law", explained Peter Šamko, who earned multiple applause during his speech. "History can always repeat itself and it usually does repeat itself. The question is to what extent and whether we are capable of preventing it. That is also why such events need to be remembered. Under normal circumstances, such a process as the one with Milada Horáková and others cannot be repeated, but the question is that we never know how history will develop. If times go crazy, we must be prepared for it", concluded Martin Bezák, a member of the Judicial Council.
