March 21, 2020

RSF: Journalism is now dangerous in Bulgaria

topic:	Freedom of Expression
located:	Bulgaria
editor:	Katarina Panić

On Tuesday night, March 17, three masked men beat up Bulgarian investigative journalist Slavi Angelov near his home in the capital Sofia. Two of them hit him with metal pipes, while the third filmed the assault on a mobile phone. Angelov lost consciousness. He was hospitalised, and his condition remains serious but stable with a broken leg from the attack. No possessions were stolen, although he was carrying his laptop at the time.

"This is an unacceptable act of intimidation against the journalist, which could have ended in his death. Angelov is known for his investigative reporting on political and environmental corruption issues. Such an attack against the press cannot be tolerated. I will closely follow the investigation opened by the authorities. I urge them to identify and bring those responsible to justice swiftly", the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir said in his statement.

Ministry of Interior qualified the attack as an attempted assassination most probably related to Angelov's work. The editor-in-chief of the 168 Hours newspaper reported on organised crime, corruption among wealthy Bulgarian business people, a prostitution ring in Bulgaria and Greece, and financial violations in the gambling industry. He was recently working on an investigative story but did not disclose the topic.

The Association of European Journalists urged the authorities to "track down, bring to justice, and punish not only the physical perpetrators but also the contractors".

The Union of Bulgarian Journalists called the assault "the next attempt to shut the mouth, in the most brutal way possible, of a journalist who preaches the truth, looks for the truth to defend the freedom of speech in Bulgaria."

Bulgaria is ranked 111 out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index, decreasing from 87th place in 2013. Reporters Without Borders warn corruption and collusion between media, politicians and oligarchs is widespread in Bulgaria.

The government continues to allocate EU funding to media outlets with a complete lack of transparency, with the effect of bribing recipients to go easy on the government, or to refrain from covering specific problematic stories altogether. The threats against reporters have also increased in recent months, to the extent that journalism is now dangerous in Bulgaria.

Image: Slavi Angelov [Facebook page of Slavi Angelov]

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