Slovak police suspect investigative journalist murdered for work

BRATISLAVA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Investigative reporter for Slovak news website Aktuality.sk, Jan Kuciak, 27, whose focus was mainly on suspicions of major tax frauds, was shot and killed along with his girlfriend in his house in Velka Maca, western Slovakia, Slovak police confirmed on Monday.

The police found the couple dead on Sunday night after being alerted by relatives who hadn't heard from them for about a week.

"His murder was most probably related to his journalist activities," Slovak Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar told a press conference.

Kuciak was killed by a single shot to his chest, while a single shot in the head killed his girlfriend and the murder took place between Thursday and Sunday. Police will provide more informations later.

Slovak politicians condemned this act and urged the police to find the murderer. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the murder of two young people shouldn´t have place in Slovak society under any circumstances.

"If the death of investigative reporter Kuciak had been linked to his journalistic work, it would be an unprecedented attack on freedom of the press and democracy in Slovakia," Fico said.

Slovak Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska said: "This brutal act shocked me. I consider every murder a huge tragedy, both human and social."

Fico, Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, Police Corps president Gaspar, Prosecutor-General Jaromir Ciznar and Slovak Intelligence Service director Anton Safarik also hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday to discuss the murder of the journalist and his girlfriend. Enditem