KOSICE, Slovak Republic — The highest court of the Slovak Republic ruled in favor of a pro-life group Tuesday in its lawsuit against police. Attorney Dr. Alan Bohm together with Alliance Defense Fund attorneys represented the Centre for Bio-ethical Reform Europe, which filed suit after police disrupted a peaceful pro-life rally that was held in full compliance with domestic law. The court ruled that police violated the pro-life group’s constitutional right to free speech.
“Pro-life advocates should not be discriminated against and silenced for expressing their beliefs and making people aware of the truth,” said Europe-based ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska, co-counsel in the case. “The court agreed that the display at the rally was completely legal and couldn’t be considered scandalous, since it condemns violence rather than advocates it.”
CBR Europe held its “Stop Genocide” rally to inform people about the atrocities of genocide, including abortion, by explaining that the consensus to deny legal protection to certain groups is typical among genocidal regimes which usually label their victims as subhuman. They used a series of
large, mobile billboards which juxtaposed images of abortion with those of other widely recognized forms of genocide, but Slovak police asserted the images of aborted babies were too graphic to be shown in public and threatened to confiscate them.
The judges observed at a hearing Tuesday that CBR Europe’s display does not advocate violence or any breach of human rights. They concluded that because the display clearly condemns all forms of violence, it cannot be considered scandalizing. The court determined police violated the free speech rights of the group’s members and awarded monetary damages as well as reimbursement of attorneys’ fees.
“Had this decision gone the wrong way, its effects could have gone far beyond the Slovak Republic,” Kiska explained. “Activist judges in other countries--including the U.S.--look for selected decisions to import into their own rulings in an attempt to bolster their conclusions with global support. They won’t find anything this time.”
A published decision in the lawsuit,
Centre for Bio-ethical Reform Europe v. Slovak Republic, is expected in about a month.
The suit was filed with the Constitutional Court on April 30.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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