Tens of thousands of Slovaks rallied in antigovernment protests to demand an investigation into the killings of a journalist and his fiancee and to call for an end to corruption in the EU and NATO country.
Slovak media estimated that some 40,000 protesters gathered in the capital, Bratislava, on March 9, the largest demonstrations since the 1989 Velvet Revolution that brought down communism in then-Czechoslovakia.
Reporter Jan Kuciak and fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, both 27, were found shot dead in their home near Bratislava on February 25.
Police said the journalist's death was "most likely" related to an article he was writing on alleged links between top Slovak politicians and the Italian mafia. The article was published after his death.
On March 1, Slovak authorities released all seven Italian suspects detained in connection with the case because of lack of evidence.
On March 2, demonstrations took place across Slovakia to demand government action in the killings.
Protest organizers say they want foreign experts to help investigate the slayings.
They also seek establishment of "a new trustworthy government with no people who are suspected of corruption" or links to organized crime.