Bulgaria: Police target journalists in effort to disperse anti-government protests
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September 4, 2020, Sofia, Bulgaria -- With anti-government protests continuing for two months in Bulgaria, tensions intensified between protesters and security forces during a rally in Sofia on September 2.
The peaceful protests that broke out in July following the appointment of former media boss Delyan Peevski, known for his scandals as the director of the State Organization for National Security (DANS) brought together opposition with slogans of “Justice and Democracy against the Mafia State”. The protesters demand immediate resignation of Boyko Borisov government and the senate. With protesters demanding an early election, Borisov's government is planning to suggest amendments to the Constitution and election laws which according to the opposition will further deteriorate the independence of elections in the country.
The events from the #protest in #Bulgaria today (so far):
— Mila Daskalova #ostavka (@MilaDaskalova) September 2, 2020
* police pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed people at random, including journalists and seniors
* random arrests without an explanation BUT with a good beating
* selective and manipulative media reporting (as usual)#ostavka pic.twitter.com/13aksJAknc
On September 2, tensions rose in the late hours after some provocateurs threw over 100 small bombs and firecrackers at police. Officers brought a water cannon and cordoned off the square in front of the parliament. Some 60 people were arrested, and hundreds were affected from pepper spray.
Several journalists also became victims of the police’s actions. A team from National TV station bTV were affected by the pepper spray, with the cameraman being hospitalised. Among those affected were reporters Kanna Racheva, Gabriela Naplatanova and Nikoleta Hadzhiyska.
During an interview with bTV Kanna said they didn’t know what kind of chemicals were used in the pepper can canisters but it was strong enough to lead to hospitalisation of her crew members.“When officers are using such sprays, they should at least tell the ingredients of the compound, so that [affected] people could get help faster” Kanna said, emphasizing that the bTV crew were all wearing visibly “PRESS” marked vests when targeted by security forces.
The Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria in a statement they released stated: “Police violence against journalists documenting protests in the country is unacceptable. We call on authorities not to target journalists who are covering the protest and ensure that they could fulfil their professional duties freely and safely. The Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria will continue to monitor excessive use of force by the police during the demonstrations.”
Bulgaria’s statutory broadcast media regulator the Council for Electronic Media (CEM) also released a statement condemning the use of force.
“The Council for Electronic Media is condemning any violence that breaches human rights and freedoms, and the violence against journalists is disgraceful for any society. CEM insists that anyone respects the work of journalists and reporters’ teams, because the journalists are the “eyes and ears” of civil society,” CEM wrote.
President Rumen Radev also condemned the police violence and stated that "pushing for changes in the Constitution by relying on the power of money and meaningless police violence, is a criminal attack to Bulgaria’s future".
The Coalition For Women In Journalism finds such actions against the right to obtain information of the public only of escalating nature in an already troubled society by oppression. Violence against journalists who are fulfilling their professional duties is a breach of freedom of the press and a failure by the authorities to abide by the international commitments prescribed by relevant treaties. We urge Bulgarian authorities to ensure the safety of journalists who are a pillar of democracy in the country.
