Our distinguished contributor Valia Ahchieva was asked to stop contributing to media other than the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), although BNT has put down her weekly program. In fact, Ahchieva contributes only to EUelectionsBulgaria.com.
Several Bulgarian media spoke to Ahchieva on Thursday (28 February), quoting her as saying that she finds inadmissible the attempt to limit the freedom of a journalist.
Ahchieva, a household name in Bulgaria, started contributing to EUelectionsBulgaria.com on 11 February, on a pro bono basis, and has already submitted three pieces of investigative journalism. She has expressed the wish to continue, despite the warnings.
On this occasion, EUelectionsBulgaria.eu has opened today a dedicated section “Investigative reports”, where Valia’s stories will appear.
Ahchieva risks being fired from BNT. However, she challenges in court the official warnings signed by Konstantin Kamenarov, the BNT chief. His letter is signed on 18 February, a day when he was supposed to be on sick leave.
Kamenarov is under trial for drunk driving. To escape from a court session on 18 February, he presented a medical certificate of illness. However, Kamenarov attended a meeting with press chiefs in the European Parliament on 19 February on fake news. The revelation came after BNT aired footage showing Kamenarov attending the event.
If convicted on drunk driving charges, Kamenarov risks up to 3 years of jail. He would also need to resign from BNT, as the chief of this media cannot be a person with a conviction.
The project was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament’s grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this project. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the project.
Be the first to comment on "Press freedom alert: Prominent journalist targeted"