Not guilty again: Slovak oligarch accused of Ján Kuciak’s murder acquitted
Marian Kočner in court, 19.05.2023. Source: ICJKThe court has decided that Marian Kočner is not guilty of ordering the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak. The court found his accomplice Alena Zsuzsová, who worked for him mostly as a honey-trap, guilty for ordering this and other murders.
Tomáš Madleňák
HOW ORBÁN ANGERED HIS CLOSEST POLISH ALLIES
Illustration: VSquare, Photo: The Chancellery of the Prime Minister, PolandPresident Katalin Novák was lectured by the Polish prime minister and Viktor Orbán’s European ambitions were jeopardized. VSquare in cooperation with Direkt36 have uncovered the behind the scenes story of the Hungarian-Polish alliance, which previously seemed unbreakable, since the outbreak of the war.
Russia’s influence operation exposed: Baltic Sea scare stories
Source: Karl-Erik Leik / Delfi Estonia
Secret Kremlin Documents: How Russia Plans to Disrupt the Baltics
Source: Karl-Erik Leik / Delfi EstoniaNOTES FROM THE REGION
Confusing Smoke and Fire: Russian Influence in Polish Politics
The so-called “lex Tusk” or “Russian influence law” prompted fierce criticism and consternation at home and abroad that Polish democracy is backsliding further.
ABOUT US
VSquare is an independent, cross-border journalism initiative dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting and independent press in the Visegrad Region.
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fundacjareporterow.org
Reporters Foundation (Fundacja Reporterów) was established in 2010 by a group of leading Polish reporters. For many years its main mission was to train and support journalists from Eastern Europe, especially from Ukraine – through workshops, conferences and journalism awards. Support to strengthen cooperation between reporters and the skills of investigative journalists in Central Europe is an important part of Foundation’s philosophy.
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investigace.cz
The Czech Centre for Investigative Journalism (České centrum pro investigativní žurnalistiku) was founded in 2013 by Czech journalists to promote cross-border investigative projects, train journalists and address the need of local journalism to follow new media trends. Center was part of global investigative journalism projects such as Pulitzer Prize winning Panama Papers, Swissleaks or Global Laundromat.
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atlatszo.hu
“Atlatszo” means transparent in Hungarian. Established in 2011, it’s Hungary’s first investigative non-profit journalistic organisation financed by nonpartisan and non-governmental sources.
direkt36.hu
Direkt36 is a non-profit investigative journalism center in Hungary with the mission to expose wrongdoings and abuse of power through fair but tough reporting, a kind of journalism that is vital for any democracy.
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icjk.sk
The Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak (ICJK) was established in 2019. Named after the Slovak journalist who was murdered in 2018, ICJK aims to be a platform for the collaboration of Slovak investigative journalists with their colleagues abroad. Partner center of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
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MEET OUR TEAM
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Wojciech Cieśla
Polish journalist, since 2016 working with Investigate Europe. Co-founder of Fundacja Reporterów (Reporters Foundation). Based in Warsaw.
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Paweł Reszka
Polish journalist of Polityka weekly, co- founder of Fundacja Reporterów (Reporters Foundation). Worked as a foreign correspondent covering Russia; former head of investigative desk at Dziennik daily. Based in Warsaw.
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Pavla Holcová
Czech journalist, founder of the Czech Center for Investigative Journalism. Closely working with OCCRP. A co-recipient of the Global Shining Light Award. Based in Prague.
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Konrad Szczygieł
Polish journalist, former reporter at Superwizjer TVN and Oko.Press, since 2016 working with Fundacja Reporterów (Reporters Foundation), in 2016 shortlisted for Grand Press award. Based in Warsaw.
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Szabolcs Panyi
Hungarian journalist at direkt36.hu. Covers foreign policy, national security, Russian influence. Former Hubert H. Humphrey/Fulbright fellow at Arizona State University.
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Anna Gielewska
Co-founder and head of VSquare; co-founder of Polish investigative outlet Frontstory.pl; vice-chairman of Fundacja Reporterów, a journalist specialized in investigating organized disinformation and propaganda; John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University (2019/20).
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Edyta Żemła
Polish journalist, since 2016 working for onet.pl. Former journalist at Rzeczpospolita daily and editor-in-chief of Polska Zbrojna, war correspondent in Afghanistan. Based in Warsaw.
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Peter Sabo
Peter Sabo is investigative reporter of Aktuality.sk. He is uncovering corruption using mostly data-driven approach. He was wroking in IT sector as analyst before joining Aktuality.
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Martin Turcek
Reporter of Aktuality.sk focused on corruption and data-based analytical journalism. Worked as an investigative data analyst for the TI Slovakia and Stop Corruption Foundation.
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Eva Kubániová
Eva is a journalist working for investigace.cz based in Prague. Investigace.cz is NGO covering organized crime topics and the only Czech partner of OCCRP. She works on projects connected to Slovakia.
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Tamás Bodoky
He is an award-winning investigative journalist and editor, co-founder and director of atlatszo.hu, Marshall Memorial Fellowship alumni, member of international investigative journalism networks. Based in Budapest.
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Lukáš Diko
Editor-in-chief at the Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak (ICJK). Experienced journalist and media leader, former director of news and journalism at RTVS and the editor-in-chief of news at Markíza television.
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Krzysztof Story
A freelance journalist, regularly published by “Tygodnik Powszechny”. Previously worked for i.a. “Gazeta Wyborcza”, “Newsweek”. Part-time traveller and mountaineer. Based in Cracow.
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Urszula Kifer
An editor with many years of experience in the biggest Polish print and online media, including WP.pl, Gazeta.pl, Newsweek Polska and Rzeczpospolita daily. Since 2020 at Reporters Foundation.
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Gabriella HornShe has been working as a journalist and news editor for over 20 years now, at News Network Ltd., RTL Klub television and a number of national print publications. Freelancing for atlatszo.hu from the beginning, she joined full time in 2019. Based in Budapest.