In his first public speech since surviving the assassination attempt, Pico said he felt no ‘hatred’ towards his attacker.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has posted a speech online, his first public appearance since he was seriously injured in an assassination attempt three weeks ago.
In a pre-recorded speech on his Facebook page on Wednesday ahead of the European Parliament elections, Fico said his health had been seriously damaged by the attack and that “it would be a small miracle if I returned to work in a few weeks.”
Pico is recovering from multiple injuries after being shot in the abdomen on May 15 while greeting supporters in the village of Handrowa, about 140 kilometers northeast of the capital Bratislava.
The attacker, identified as 71-year-old Juraj C, was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted premeditated murder, according to prosecutors.
Fico, who was in seemingly good shape when he spoke, promised to return to work in late June or early July and said he felt no “hatred” towards his attackers.
“I forgive him,” he said, adding that he had no plans to take legal action against the perpetrator.
Nonetheless, he criticized the opposition and others, saying, “In the end, it is clear that he was the only purveyor of evil and political hatred.”
Fico suggested that his views on Russia’s war on Ukraine and other issues that differ significantly from mainstream Europe have made him a victim.
Pico was discharged from hospital in the central city of Banska Bystrica last week and taken to his home in Bratislava, where he continues to recover.
Video of the attack shows him approaching people gathered at a barricade and reaching out to shake their hands when a man approaches, stretches his arms and fires five shots before tackling him and arresting him.
Fico underwent a five-hour surgery immediately, and another two hours two days later.
The incident highlighted the deep polarization of politics in the central European country of 5.4 million people.
The opposition has led protests against Fico’s government, which has changed policies such as cutting off military aid to Ukraine, abolishing the Special Prosecutor’s Office despite concerns about the rule of law, and revamping state television and radio broadcasting.
