Slovenská informacná služba
Encyclopedia
Slovenská informačná služba (Slovak Information Service, SIS) is an intelligence agency
of the government of Slovakia
.
). Its first director was Vladimír Mitro, who two years later asked the President of Slovakia to accept his resignation. Mitro later claimed that the reason for this was huge political pressure on him, especially the command to establish surveillance of certain journalists.
The government of Vladimír Mečiar
then changed the law to give the permission to name the SIS director to itself, rather than the President of Slovakia. Mečiar then named Ivan Lexa
the director of SIS. Under Lexa, SIS became internationally known for numerous controversies including the kidnapping of President's son to Austria
and his light torture in 1995, the Assassination of Róbert Remiáš
in 1996 and many more.
SIS also handles tasks usually reserved for the police force:
Moreover, SIS is supposed to protect civil rights in Slovakia.
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
of the government of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
History
Slovenská informačná služba was established on January 21, 1993 as a descendant of the Federálna bezpečnostná informačná služba FBIS (the intelligence agency of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
). Its first director was Vladimír Mitro, who two years later asked the President of Slovakia to accept his resignation. Mitro later claimed that the reason for this was huge political pressure on him, especially the command to establish surveillance of certain journalists.
The government of Vladimír Mečiar
Vladimír Meciar
Vladimír Mečiar is a Slovak politician who was Prime Minister of Slovakia from 1990 to 1991, from 1992 to 1994, and from 1994 to 1998. He is the leader of the People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia...
then changed the law to give the permission to name the SIS director to itself, rather than the President of Slovakia. Mečiar then named Ivan Lexa
Ivan Lexa
Ivan Lexa, Ing. is the former head of the Slovak Secret Service from 1995 to 1998. One of the closest allies of the former autocratic Prime Minister of Slovakia Vladimír Mečiar, under Lexa the Secret Service committed numerous high-profile politically motivated crimes.In 2000, Ivan Lexa fled...
the director of SIS. Under Lexa, SIS became internationally known for numerous controversies including the kidnapping of President's son to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and his light torture in 1995, the Assassination of Róbert Remiáš
Assassination of Róbert Remiáš
Assassination of Róbert Remiáš took place on April 29, 1996 in Karlova Ves, Bratislava, Slovakia. Remiáš, an ex-police officer, was one of the key figures in the trial against Slovak Information Service in the case of Kidnapping of the Slovak President's son into Austria from 1995. Remiáš's car was...
in 1996 and many more.
Tasks of SIS
The Slovak Information Service, as with similar agencies in other countries, serves the following purposes:- Protection of the Slovak Republic from foreign spies and reconnaissance services.
- Protection of confidential documents.
- Protecting the interests of the Slovak Republic.
SIS also handles tasks usually reserved for the police force:
- Protection of the Slovak Republic from computer crimes and crimes using high-tech technology.
- Fight against criminal organizations and companies.
- Ensure the safety of the citizens of the Slovak Republic.
Moreover, SIS is supposed to protect civil rights in Slovakia.
- Protection of civil rights.
Directors of SIS
- Vladimír Mitro, JUDr. - 21. January 1993 - 23. February 1995
- Ivan LexaIvan LexaIvan Lexa, Ing. is the former head of the Slovak Secret Service from 1995 to 1998. One of the closest allies of the former autocratic Prime Minister of Slovakia Vladimír Mečiar, under Lexa the Secret Service committed numerous high-profile politically motivated crimes.In 2000, Ivan Lexa fled...
, Ing. - 18. April 1995 - 27. October 1998 - Rudolf Žiak - 27. October 1998 - 3. November 1998
- Vladimír Mitro, JUDr. - 3. November 1998 - 31. March 2003
- Ladislav Pittner - 4. April 2003 - 26. July 2006
- Jozef Magala - 27. July 2006 - 25. August 2010
- Karol Mitrík - 25. August 2010 - present
External links
- Oficial SIS website (Slovak/ English)