December 05, 2024 - Slovakia

Aktuality.sk journalist Laura Kellö Kalinská was subjected to an online attack by Daniel Bombic, also known as Danny Kollár, a far-right conspiracist residing in London and facing criminal charges.

Kellö Kalinská contacted Bombic as part of standard journalistic practice, emailing him questions about his criminal charges and following up with an SMS after obtaining his phone number. Instead of responding professionally, Bombic initiated a smear campaign against her on his Telegram channel, falsely claiming he had received no communication.

In his post, Bombic referred to journalists as "parasites" and escalated his harassment with a vulgar private message to the journalist. This attack is part of a broader pattern of abuse by Bombic, who has repeatedly targeted Kellö Kalinská, spread misinformation about her, and incited hostility online.

Women Press Freedom strongly condemns Bombic’s reprehensible behavior. This is not the first time he has targeted women journalists with online abuse. Such conduct must be called out and addressed. We urge Slovakian authorities to investigate Bombic's threats and abusive actions and take decisive steps to protect journalists from harassment.