By Karolína Kiripolská
Pavla Holcova’s journey into investigative journalism began amidst the confines of a Cuban cell. As the only journalist from the Czech Republic, she was invited to work on the Panama Papers case. Her colleagues joke that two governments fell because of her – the Slovak and Macedonian ones.
After her studies, Pavla Holcova imparted skills to dissident journalists in Cuba through the NGO People in Need. It was during one such session that she crossed paths with the esteemed investigative journalist Pavol Radu, co-founder of OCCRP.
In a Cuban cell
A chance encounter in a Havana bar led Pavla Holcova and Pavol Radu to unravel a smuggling operation, igniting a sequence of events that landed them in a Cuban cell.
They didn’t know why they were detained, but they knew they couldn’t talk about their job with the Cuban dissidents, so they started talking about the work of Paul Radu. He, among other things, told her that he missed a link for the Czech Republic. At that moment, sitting in a cell, Pavla Holcová knew she wanted to work on similar projects as Paul Radu.
Back home, she recognized a void in Czech media—insufficient coverage of international crimes. This realization propelled her to establish a center dedicated to such pursuits.
Corporate Drone by Day, Journalist by Night
However, the path wasn’t without its challenges. “I literally had no money and was raising two children,” she said.
Embarking on a relentless pursuit of knowledge and skills, she often sacrifices time with her family. She had to learn everything from reading financial statements, understanding shareholder structures, working with the Maltese ship registry, to management books. “It was hell, and I wouldn’t want to repeat it. But I’m glad I did it.”
She educated herself mostly in the early morning and at night. Because during the establishment of the first investigative center in the Czech Republic, she worked at the IT company. “My daughter later told me that I was either absent home physically or mentally,” she remarked.
Under The Name Of The Imprisoned Journalist
Her dedication extended beyond personal endeavors; when Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova was imprisoned in 2015, Pavla and her team resolved to amplify her voice by publishing her articles. Despite the rigorous scrutiny and challenges Khadija faced behind bars, the publication of her work served as a beacon of solidarity.
“No one, even her, understood how Khadija could publish her stories from prison. The government subjected her to detailed cell searches daily,” she described.
Khadija expressed gratitude upon learning of her colleagues’ efforts. Pavla and her team’s courage led to international pressure, resulting in Khadija’s release after a year and a half instead of seven.
Toppled Two Governments
Teaming up with a Macedonian journalist, Holcová uncovered the clandestine investments of Saso Mijalkov, former head of the Macedonian inteligence service. The revelations prompted Mijalkov’s resignation and catalyzed the downfall of the Macedonian government.
Pavla Holcová also collaborated with her close friend, the Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, who was murdered for the political reasons. In response to the murder, Holcová and her colleagues worked on uncovering his assassination. The revelations and publication of Kuciak’s cases compelled the Slovakian Prime Minister, who was linked to the Italian mafia, to resign from his position.
“But my aim isn’t to destabilize governments or incarcerate individuals. It’s about empowering people with information. I draw parallels to the horrors of concentration camps. People often claim ignorance as an excuse for inaction. I refuse to let ignorance be an excuse any longer,” she remarked.
| Who is Pavla Holcová: – She is an investigative journalist, editor for OCCRP and founder of independent Czech outlet and OCCRP member center investigace.cz. – She has contributed to major cross-border projects such as the Panama Papers, the Russian and Azerbaijani Laundromats, the Pegasus Project, the Pandora Papers, and the Russian Asset Tracker. – Together with her colleague Ján Kuciak, she exposed ties between the Slovak government and Italian mafia. After Ján was murdered, Pavla helped finish his stories, investigate the murder, and, with her team, unravel one of the European Union’s most jaw-dropping corruption scandals, implicating senior judges and police figures and eventually bringing down a government. |