Overview
- Parliament approved penal code amendments that restrict who can serve as a cooperative witness and ban evidence from suspects who cooperated for leniency.
- Lawmakers passed a measure dissolving the independent Whistleblower Protection Office and replacing it with a body under government authority.
- Thousands demonstrated across Slovakia on Dec. 15–16, including about 7,000 in Bratislava, with rallies reported in 10 communities.
- NGOs urged President Peter Pellegrini to request a Constitutional Court review, and he said he would not sign the law even after his veto was overridden.
- Opposition parties and protesters argue the changes aid allies of Prime Minister Robert Fico, citing deputy speaker Tibor Gašpar, and warn of damage to EU rule-of-law standards.