In Slovakia, defamation is punishable by up to eight years in prison, making it the harshest penalty for this offense in the European Union. Many legal actions against journalists have been brought by businessmen, politicians, and judicial officials. Prime Minister Robert Fico, who initiated several of these lawsuits during his first term, often loses his temper with journalists. When asked about a corruption case during a news conference in November 2016, he described several journalists as “filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes” and then refused to apologize. His outburst was typical of the growing hostility that politicians display towards journalists.