Bulgaria
Amendment to laws could affect press freedomPosted May 5 2011
A change in Bulgaria’s penal code has the power to put journalists behind bars for up to four years.
The amendment, which was approved by the Bulgarian parliament on April 13, is concerned with hate speech and discrimination. Journalists who instigate hatred, discrimination or violence can be imprisoned from one to four years, IFEX reported.
The changes were adopted without public discussion and do not offer a definition of discrimination, the report said. The ambiguity could lead to court rulings against press freedom and cause journalists to apply self-censorship. Libel in Bulgaria is also a criminal, not civic offense.
The amendment follows another controversial one that will restrict access to Bulgaria’s Business Registry database. The database acts as a journalistic source for business contracts, protocols and shareholder decisions, according to a South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO) report.
After the parliamentary revision, the previously open database will be accessible only to specific groups of people and all logs will be monitored.
The Sofia Echo, a Bulgarian newspaper, recently commented on the state of the media.
“One of the concerns about the state of the Bulgarian media is the concentration of ownership, along with a widespread perception that the actual ownership of some mass-circulation media is concealed behind a façade,” the report said.
Bulgaria is ranked 70 out of 178 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2010 Press Freedom Index. It is the lowest ranked EU member country, along with Greece.