In the most blatant example to date of the leftist Slovenian government’s media purge, authorities raided the offices of conservative outlet Nova24TV, the media channel reported on Wednesday, May 29th. The home and car of the channel’s director Boris Tomašič, a long-time government critic, were also searched, and his laptop and phone were confiscated.
Appearing on a talk show immediately after the raids, Tomašič explained that the raids had been carried out simply to obstruct the channel’s work and intimidate its staff before the upcoming European elections.
The raids were carried out just ten days before the EU elections. “Coincidence? Certainly not,” Tomašič wrote on X.
Policijska preiskava na.@Nova24TV. Razlog prijava v politične namene zlorabljene preiskovalne komisije.
Zasegli mi bodo telefon in računalnik. 10 dni pred volitvami. Naključje? Zagotovo ne.— Boris Tomašič (@NeMaramButlov) May 29, 2024
“They came to intimidate us. You won’t succeed. We are not afraid of you. We will continue our work,” Tomašič said. Neither he nor any other employee of Nova24TV are suspects in the investigation, he stated.
Tomašič said the commission that ordered the raid—originally created to investigate political party financing—has been weaponized against the opposition and the last few independent media outlets in the country.