In cooperation with the Prison and Court Guard Service, on August 14, 2026, at the memorial plaque of the Leopoldov institution, a memorial service was held for those unjustly and illegally imprisoned by the communist regime.

This event was attended by many guests: Public Defender of Rights Róbert Dobrovodský, Mayor of Leopoldov Terézia Kavuljaková, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nation's Memory Institute Jerguš Sivoš, Auxiliary Bishop of the Bratislava Archdiocese Jozef Haľko, Deputy Director of the Vicariate of the Prison and Court Guard Service of the Ordinariate of the Armed Forces and Armed Corps of the Slovak Republic Štefan Blanár, and others. For the first time, all three organizations representing political prisoners and their families participated in the memorial.The attendees were addressed by the Chairman of the Confederation of Political Prisoners of Slovakia Peter Sandtner, Chairman of Political Prisoners – Union of Anti-Communist Resistance Rafael Rafaj, and Chairman of the World Association of Former Political Prisoners František Bednár.

Leopoldov Prison has become a symbol of all the places where thousands of people faced cruel torture and unjust imprisonment with the support of the communist regime and state power. Not infrequently, they also met their death behind prison walls. As the Public Defender of Rights emphasized in his speech - remembering makes sense if we can also translate it into the present and learn from it. This commemoration served as a reminder that freedom, democracy, and human rights are never to be taken for granted. The stories of people who were persecuted or imprisoned for their views remain a testimony of the past and also a warning for the future. Preserving their memory is therefore significant not only as a sign of respect for the victims but also as a reminder of the need to protect democratic values and individual freedoms.