This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000300 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR LO
SUBJECT: ARCHIVES CHIEF ASSAULTED 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  ON MARCH 23, THREE UNIDENTIFIED ASSAILANTS 
    ATTACKED AND SERIOUSLY INJURED JAN LANGOS, THE HEAD OF THE 
INSTITUTE OF THE MEMORY OF THE NATION (IMN), WHILE HE WAS WALKING 
HOME AT MIDNIGHT.  THE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THE CRIME AS A 
ROBBERY.  NONETHELESS, THE INCIDENT CLOSELY RESEMBLES AN ATTACK 
ON LANGOS' WIFE LAST YEAR AND COULD BE INTERPRETED AS ANOTHER 
"WARNING" FROM THOSE WHO MAY FEEL THREATENED BY THE IMN'S 
ACTIVITIES, WHICH FOCUS ON OPENING THE FORMER COMMUNIST 
INTELLIGENCE (STB) FILES AND DISCLOSING DETAILS ABOUT STB 
EMPLOYEES AND CONTACTS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
WHAT HAPPENED 
------------- 
¶2. (U) ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 23, JAN LANGOS, THE HEAD OF THE IMN 
AND FORMER CZECHOSLOVAK INTERIOR MINISTER, WAS ATTACKED BY THREE 
APPARENTLY WELL-TRAINED, MUSCULAR MEN.  THE GROUP KNOCKED LANGOS 
DOWN AND BEAT HIM SERIOUSLY.  THEY ALSO BROKE HIS ARM AND FINGERS 
WHILE PULLING OFF HIS WEDDING RING.  HIS WALLET AND MONEY WERE 
LEFT UNTOUCHED.  LANGOS LOST CONSCIOUSNESS DURING THE ATTACK AND 
WAS UNABLE TO DESCRIBE HIS ASSAILANTS TO THE POLICE. 
 
ROLE OF IMN 
----------- 
¶3. (U) THE INSTITUTE OF THE MEMORY OF THE NATION WAS ESTABLISHED 
BY LAW IN 2003.  THE IMN'S ROLE IS TO COLLECT, MAINTAIN AND OPEN 
THE INTELLIGENCE ARCHIVES FROM THE NAZI AND COMMUNIST ERA (1939- 
89), TO PROSECUTE NAZI AND COMMUNIST CRIMES, AS WELL AS CRIMES 
AGAINST PEACE, HUMAN DIGNITY AND WAR CRIMES, INCLUDING ALL FORMS 
OF POLITICALLY-BASED REPRESSION.  SDKU PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND 
FOREIGN MINISTER EDUARD KUKAN, WHOSE FORMER SCHOOLMATE 
ANONYMOUSLY ACCUSED HIM IN THE PRESS OF HAVING TIES TO THE STB, 
IS AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE REQUESTED DISCLOSURE OF THEIR FILES. 
    PARLIAMENT ELECTED LANGOS CHAIRMAN OF THE INSTITUTE BOARD IN 
APRIL 2003. 
 
¶4. (SBU) THE DAY BEFORE THE VOTE, LANGOS' WIFE GABRIELA WAS 
BEATEN AND SERIOUSLY INJURED IN PRAGUE, WHERE SHE RESIDES.  THE 
PERPETRATORS LEFT HER PURSE UNTOUCHED.  ANOTHER INCIDENT OCCURRED 
IN THE FALL OF 2003 WHEN A CAR FROM THE PRIVATE SECURITY SERVICE 
SECURITON HIT GABRIELA'S CAR AT HIGH SPEED, IN A WAY THAT 
RESEMBLED THE WELL-KNOWN ACCIDENTS STAGED BY COMMUNIST 
INTELLIGENCE IN THE PAST.  THE POLICE NEVER COMPLETED THE 
INVESTIGATION OF THIS CAR ACCIDENT. 
 
LANGOS - FORMER DISSIDENT AND COMMUNIST-HUNTER 
--------------------------------------------- - 
¶5. (SBU) LANGOS IS A WELL-KNOWN FORMER DISSIDENT, ANTI-COMMUNIST, 
AND LONGTIME EMBASSY CONTACT.  HE INITIATED SLOVAKIA'S FREEDOM OF 
INFORMATION ACT AND OTHER TRANSPARENCY ACTS.  HE ALSO 
ORCHESTRATED THE OPENING OF THE COMMUNIST AND NAZI INTELLIGENCE 
FILES.  AS THE CZECHOSLOVAK MINISTER OF INTERIOR IN 1990, LANGOS 
DISSOLVED THE COMMUNIST INTELLIGENCE SERVICE (STB) AND ENDORSED 
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A LUSTRATION LAW THAT WOULD HAVE BANNED 
COMMUNIST PARTY FUNCTIONARIES AND STB OFFICERS FROM SERVING IN 
PUBLIC OFFICES.  MECIAR'S GOVERNMENT, HOWEVER, FAILED TO ENACT 
THIS LAW.  LANGOS IS COMMITTED TO EXPOSING THE CRIMES COMMITTED 
UNDER COMMUNIST RULE. 
 
NO REACTION FROM INTERIOR MINISTRY 
---------------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) TO DATE, THE INTERIOR MINISTRY HAS MADE NO PUBLIC 
STATEMENT ABOUT THE BEATING, AND AN OFFICIAL TOLD POL FSN ON 
MARCH 26 THAT THE INCIDENT IS BEING TREATED AS A STREET CRIME 
    UNTIL THE POLICE INVESTIGATION PROVES OTHERWISE.  WHEN ASKED 
ABOUT INTERIOR MINISTER VLADIMIR PALKO'S REACTION, HIS ADVISOR 
JAROSLAV DANISKA TOLD THE EMBASSY THAT HE WOULD ENCOURAGE PALKO 
TO MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT CONDEMNING VIOLENCE TOWARD LANGOS. 
THE AMBASSADOR SENT A LETTER TO LANGOS CONDEMNING THE ACT OF 
VIOLENCE AND EXPRESSING SUPPORT.  LANGOS TOLD EMBOFFS THAT HE 
HIGHLY VALUES THE USG SUPPORT AND WILL CONTINUE HIS WORK IN SPITE 
OF THE ATTACK. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: ALTHOUGH THE ABOVE INCIDENTS MIGHT BE CONSTRUED 
AS RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE, THEY BEAR THE UNMISTAKABLE HALLMARK 
OF THE FORMER COMMUNIST INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, WHICH USED TO WARN 
ITS ADVERSARIES WITH STAGED CAR INCIDENTS AND VIOLENT STREET 
CRIMES.  THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THESE THREE INCIDENTS MIGHT BE 
UNRELATED, BUT THEY MAY BE ATTEMPTS TO DISCOURAGE THE INSTITUTE 
AND LANGOS AS WELL AS TO DEMORALIZE THE STAFF.  NOW THAT THE LAW 
ALLOWS OPENING THE COMMUNIST FILES, A NUMBER OF FORMER OFFICIALS 
MAY FEEL THEIR REPUTATIONS ARE IN JEOPARDY.  THESE EVENTS COULD 
HAVE BEEN ORCHESTRATED BY INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS WHO FEEL 
THREATENED BY THE IMN OR COULD BE ACTS OF PERSONAL REVENGE. 
 
WEISER 
 
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