The arrest of Vladimir Meciar
IT WAS either a blow for justice and an important signal, to be noted across post-communist Central Europe, that nobody is above the law. Or it was a crude act of vengeance that could polarise and destabilise Slovakian politics. In any event, the arrest on April 20th of independent Slovakia's longest-serving prime minister, Vladimir Meciar, was one of the most momentous events to have occurred since the country split from the Czech Republic seven years ago.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The arrest of Vladimir Meciar”
From the April 29th 2000 edition
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