Experts in the field of psychiatry and psychology wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Robert Fico. They are the authors psychiatrist and head of the Psychiatric Clinic of the Faculty Hospital in Trenčín Jozef Hašto and psychologist and forensic expert Anton Heretik. The open letter was signed by 105 experts from the field of psychology and psychiatry. You can read it all in the gallery.
According to their own words, the threat to democracy in Slovakia and the international status of our country led to their statement about Fico’s political behavior. They also mentioned the incident between student Simon and president Peter Pellegrini.
“You speak disparagingly of young people who oppose your politics, mockingly evaluate a young man’s complexion, send a distant “educational slap” to a student who refused to shake the hand of a political representative whom he does not respect. It was you who, at your political demonstrations with your party members, encouraged the crowd to call the then president vulgar,” they reminded.
It was not the first letter from experts to the country’s prime minister. In 1998, the overwhelming majority of the participants of the Slovak Psychiatric Congress in Košice signed a letter to Vladimír Mečiar. “Many of the reservations about his policy, which the letter contained, related to similar topics, especially the threat to democracy and the inclusion of the country in European and transatlantic structures,” they stated. “We hope in your capacity for self-reflection and the possibility of correcting your political behavior, including considering leaving top politics,” they told Fic.
The open letter was appreciated by the partner of former president Zuzana Čaputová. “It’s always nice when the voice of experts is heard in the public debate…,” Juraj Rizman, director of communications and public relations at Post Bellum, wrote eloquently on his Instagram account after the experts’ comments flew across the media and the Internet.
The Prime Minister reacted to the letter on the social network in a flash. “The huge number of titles before and after the names that you have collected to call me to leave politics should inspire respect and seriousness in me. I have to disappoint you because you only cause disrespect and concern.” bequeathed Fico to the authors open political appeal. He thinks that they have sided with those who are looking for a way to bypass the elections and come to power by abuse.
“Dear gentlemen, I have to state with great regret that you have grossly abused your professional mission for political purposes and you have lost all esteem and respect among a huge number of people in Slovakia. It is your free decision,” he added. “We will inform international professional associations and organizations about your activity,” Fico told them at the end.
