Position of AFAD on the STVR Proposal to Engage in Discussion with Students

The Director General of STVR, Martina Flašíková, has expressed interest in organizing a professional lecture at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (AFAD), combined with a discussion with students on the topic of protecting the public interest in public broadcasting. The aim would be to explain the principles of freedom of expression and social responsibility.

AFAD will not provide a platform for representatives of STVR. Censorial interventions in broadcasting, the dismantling of editorial departments, and the dismissal of journalists and editors important to society—who systematically covered contemporary visual art or addressed topics such as the Holocaust of the Slovak State and the victims of the communist regime—are considered practices close to the mindset and functioning of totalitarian regimes. We regard the academic environment as an inclusive yet also privileged space grounded in deep knowledge, critical thinking, and the exchange of views among equals. Anyone who eliminates their opponents and introduces fear and intimidation within an institution is not worthy of appearing in an academic setting.