STA, 13 June 2021 - Igor Kršinar, a journalist for the right-wing political magazine Reporter, has initiated a private prosecution against Prime Minister Janez Janša over two Twitter posts in 2019 that implied he was a drug user.
Čista laž. Očitno je Kršinar že na trdi drogi. https://t.co/Q4alqCS04S
— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) October 15, 2019
In one tweet, in October 2019, Janša said about an article that Kršinar wrote. "Pure lie. Kršinar is already using heavy drugs." A month later, Janša shared a tweet by then MP Žan Mahnič, who wondered whether "Kršinar was mixing whiskey and Helex again".
Jaz imam tovarno na Trstenjakovi, @JJansaSDS pa kliniko v Avstraliji. ??? Je Kršinor spet mešal viski in Helex? Ena največjih #FakeNews tovarn v Sloveniji je Piškotar @RevijaReporter. Očitno dobijo premalo tlake, bo moral kabinet predsednika @vladaRS še malo odpret pipico... https://t.co/9hzqdeOeE0
— Žan Mahnič (@ZanMahnic) December 4, 2019
The first tweet referred to an article describing proceedings at the Commission for Oversight of Intelligence and Security Services, which Kršinar subsequently corrected after getting access to the minutes of the meeting.
The second tweet referred to Kršinar's article about a "fake news factory" operated from the headquarters of the Democrats (SDS), Janša's party.
Kršinar says that since 2017 Janša has written disparagingly about Reporter and him personally, but the claim that he is a drug user "exceeds the boundaries of appropriate and permitted communication," the magazine said in an article published on Sunday.
Kršinar says he uses neither drugs nor is he an alcoholic and has never had problems with drug or alcohol abuse.
An arraignment hearing was scheduled for 26 May but was postponed until further notice because Kršinar's lawyer was ill.
Related: Janša Faces Retrial in “Washed-up Prostitutes” Defamation Case
