Prosecutor's Office initiated pre-trial proceedings for stigmatizing against co-owner and editor in chief of investigative website "Bivol" Atanas Chobanov. This happened after the signal of Ivan Danov, former minister of investment projects in the previous cabinet. "Bivol" exposed him in improperly receiving nearly 15000 euros from the French social services from September 2004 to May 2005. As Bivol’s investigation revealed, in the course of eight months, Danov had been signing false declarations of unemployment and of seeking job in France, while, at the same time, he worked and developed business in Bulgaria. This is another case in which the prosecution is up against media and journalists after the election of Sotir Tsatsarov as a head of state prosecution.
The Public Prosecution has been inactive for over a year in order to reach the expiration of the limitation period for prosecuting the former Minister Ivan Danov, and the case against him to be terminated. Immediately afterwards, the Sofia Regional Prosecutor’s Office initiated libel proceedings against the Editor-in-Chief of the site Bivol, Atanas Tchobanov, who revealed how Danov has been draining the French social benefits system.
Two American journalists, working for WDBJ7 channel, were shot dead while taking interviews in a shopping mall in the the city of Moneta, Virginia. The killer, a fired employee of the same tv channel, later attempted to commit suicide and is now in hospital in critical conditions.
Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency (NRA) has started checking the finances of all print media, going back five years. The statement comes only a day after daily newspaper "Sega" claimed that its accounts were being audited by the NRA and claimed that it was a consequence of the newspaper’s critical position regarding a number of government decisions.
The Union of Bulgarian Journalists insists on legal protection of journalists after the closing of "Presa" Daily and "Tema" magazine. The organization is worried that more than 100 journalist will lose their jobs. The Union of Bulgarian Journalists protests against the media monopoly in Bulgaria.
The programme director of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) has been fired, while journalist keep on protesting against pay cuts planned by the radio's management.
Media expert prof. Neli Ognyanova believes the solution to the current crisis in the public Bulgarian National Radio - where journalist are protesting against pay cuts - have to be solved through improvements in the management
