By: Peter Truden
After Thursday’s issue of Demokracija with a very explicit cover featuring Luka Mesec and Asta Vrečko, the main leaders of Levica, the party announced today that it will file a damages lawsuit against the publisher of Demokracija, the company Nova Obzorja d.o.o.
It is worth recalling that such a move was expected. However, for the party Levica, it is above all self‑destructive. Suing a media outlet one month before the elections means nothing less than fuelling the suspicions about the connections between Fotopub and its now former head, Dušan Josip Smodej. At today’s press conference, broadcast even by the STA video service (!), Asta Vrečko made exactly the same mistake as the trio of Svoboda MPs, Urška Klakočar Zupančič, Lena Grgurevič and Tamara Vonta, when we published a cover featuring all three MPs in militaristic uniforms from the Hugo Boss collection. Namely, such reactions only boosted the sales of Demokracija and increased public interest in the content. Therefore, we politely thank Asta Vrečko for providing us with free publicity.
Demokracija spreading hate speech?
Let’s look at how STA reported on today’s press conference: Levica co‑coordinator Asta Vrečko will file a damages lawsuit against the weekly Demokracija. Among other things, she accuses them of defamation with their latest cover, where they linked her to the Fotopub affair. “It is time to put an end to hate speech and the abuse of the media and freedom of speech,” Vrečko stressed at today’s press conference. Vrečko, who is also the Minister of Culture, believes that Demokracija, which is connected to the SDS party, spreads political propaganda. They do not respect any rules, she said, nor are they “in any way bound to the truth”. According to her, “this is not journalism, this is a political technique, it is character assassination, something we know very well from other regimes”, mentioning Nazism and fascism.
On Thursday, Demokracija published a cover linking Levica co‑coordinators Vrečko and Luka Mesec to the 2022 Fotopub affair. At that time, anonymous testimonies about the artist Dušan Smodej were posted on one of the social networks, and last year the prosecution filed an indictment against Smodej on suspicion of sexual violence, enabling the use of illegal drugs, and minor bodily harm. Smodej, whom the court has not yet managed to serve the indictment, denied all accusations after the scandal broke. As Vrečko said today, Demokracija insinuated that Levica was connected to the affair. “In my opinion, this is a violation of all journalistic standards. This is not satire, this is a lie, this is spreading hatred,” Vrečko emphasised. She added that the election campaign must not be based on character assassination, spreading lies and humiliation. “Even if we disagree with someone, there must be rules,” she said.
So: Asta Vrečko claims that our media outlet is part of the pre‑election campaign. In doing so, she mixes apples and pears, throws in Nazism and fascism, and in fact uses exactly the same methods she accuses the media you are reading of using. And of course, she obligatorily adds “hate speech” to the mix. As if: if Smodej denied everything, then it simply cannot be true. Ergo: we must take both Smodej and Golob at their word. If Smodej says it is not true, then it is not true, even if testimonies contradict him a hundred times.
It is true, however, that the report does not make it entirely clear who will now file the lawsuit. Asta Vrečko personally? The party Levica? Or both? And what exactly offended them so deeply? The mention of Epstein in the same context?
Levica has shot itself in the foot
What is actually the subject of the lawsuit? Not only the cover, but also the editorial by editor Dr Metod Berlec and the main article, in which the author Gašper Blažič points to political connections not only between Fotopub, Smodej and the late Roman Uranjek with the party Levica, but also with the upper echelons of the deep state. It is also relevant that a senior official of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia is running on Levica’s list, which makes the question of who is politically protecting Smodej through the judiciary even more pertinent. Clearly, many names from the world of politics and the cultural scene are involved, names that, because of the upcoming elections, must not reach the public. Already in 2022, some other media revealed that Luka Mesec had been seen at Fotopub events, while Smodej was apparently at least a close acquaintance of Asta Vrečko. It is not necessary that all of Uranjek’s acquaintances – among them the daughter of the last party leader Milan Kučan – participated in the debauchery comparable to the Epstein case. But the fact remains that Smodej is clearly being protected by the deep state, and with him many others who were “involved” in one way or another.
The Fotopub affair became even more pressing when, despite Smodej’s untouchable status, Zdenka Badovinac, current chair of the Prešeren Fund Board and Levica’s candidate in the last European Parliament elections, as well as a friend of the late Uranjek, lectured the public at the recent celebration of the Slovenian Cultural Holiday. At the same time, psychologist Matic Munc once again highlighted the unresolved scandal. “Almost every time, the drunk and high crème de la crème of Ljubljana’s cultural scene was present, musicians, painters, multimedia artists, influencers, mixed with the daughters and sons of Slovenian millionaires, and cocaine and GHB dealers. King Roman was there too, the famous painter, the famous IRWIN. There was also another way to get into these parties – a special invitation to a young “artist”, because spending time with influential cultural figures like Dule and Roman would help launch her career,” he wrote.
He continues: “Three and a half years later. The indictment has not been filed because it is not final. Smodej is hiding abroad – in Italy, Switzerland, Germany… Below is a nice winter photo of him enjoying the sun in a fancy Swiss resort. Hi, Duško. He is clearly relying on the well‑known tactic of the owner of the Lipa nightclub, who never answered for the deaths of underage girls because the case expired. He spent the critical years abroad, and Smodej will do the same. I am convinced that Dule is telling his artistic colleagues what a victim of a witch‑hunt he is in Slovenia. Poor thing!” He adds: “I do not think anyone will ever answer for what happened around Fotopub. Too many powerful spoons are stirring this pot.” Everything is clear.
Thank you, Levica, for making Fotopub the No. 1 topic of the election campaign
In short, Matic Munc’s words are very well‑founded. That is why we even welcome the lawsuit by the far‑left party Levica. Not only because such a move is politically suicidal so close to the elections, but because of the truth. A lot of what has been concealed will likely come to light, and it will politically bury the current red‑star elite for good.
One thing is clear: for Levica to file such a lawsuit during the official pre‑election campaign is at the very least counterproductive, if not outright suicidal. Levica is clearly demonstrating that it cannot tolerate media freedom, while achieving the opposite effect. Court proceedings take months or even years. There will be no ruling before the elections, not even theoretically. There likely will not even be a preliminary hearing. The only effect is negative publicity during the campaign: Levica ends up in a bunker‑defence mode instead of attacking with its own programme points, social justice, the environment, etc. Many left‑leaning voters will see this as clinging to “right‑wing provocations” instead of focusing on substance. Only the most radical supporters will applaud the lawsuit, but they will remain a minority. Most people will assume Levica is trying to hide something. In short, the story will now escalate even further and may become the No. 1 topic in the debates, in which case Levica will be the one on the defendant’s bench.
And now what? Will they send the police after Demokracija as well?
We are also publishing the response of the editor of Demokracija
Response of Demokracija to Levica’s lawsuit
The party Levica has filed a lawsuit against Demokracija over the cover and articles about the Fotopub affair. We understand this as an attempt to pressure an independent media outlet that dares to open topics that certain holders of power do not like.
Our duty is clear: to point out questionable conduct in society, deviations, abuses, excesses and connections that others choose to conceal.
At Demokracija, we highlighted facts that the dominant media persistently push to the margins. The Fotopub affair is a story of alleged abuses and manipulations involving individuals from the left‑leaning cultural and political scene. Yet the investigation has been stalled for more than three years, while the main actor moves freely abroad.
This silence and institutional inaction stand in stark contrast to cases involving centre‑right politicians, in those instances, law‑enforcement bodies act with lightning speed, and the media report almost in real time.
The comparison with the Epstein affair is therefore more than appropriate. Slovenian media report on that case with zeal and moral superiority, but when it comes to a domestic version of similar accusations, silence suddenly prevails.
The double standards are obvious: when left‑wing political or cultural circles are involved, stories are relativised and procedures stall. When the right is allegedly involved, investigations and reporting go into turbo mode.
Our cover pointed precisely to this – to the interconnected political, cultural and media structures that create a protective wall around their own.
And I believe that this topic is very uncomfortable for Levica, as some prominent members of the party moved in circles connected to Fotopub. The Minister of Culture from this party even gave an interview to the main actor of the affair, something that various media outlets published or noticed, and which can still be found online and on social networks today.
There must be no untouchables in Slovenia. Neither on the left nor on the right.
Demokracija will continue to do its job: uncover stories that others hide and point out double standards that harm the democratic process and public trust in the institutions of the Slovenian state.
Metod Berlec, Editor‑in‑Chief of Demokracija