Backlash after assault on journalist during ‘national conference’ of ruling party GERB
Ruling party GERB held a ‘national conference’ yesterday in Sofia with party members from across the country. The conference itself did not produces much news. GERB leader and PM Boyko Borissov held a lengthy speech in front of a crowd, seated beneath a scorching noon sun in what was one of the hottest summer days yet. Critics and observers of the government and the PM described the event as lacking any sense if not to boost the PM’s self-image in the 27-th day of nation-wide anti-government protests, while his poll numbers have plummeted to an all-time low.
While reporting on the event, Svobodna Evropa (RFE/RL) journalist Poulina Paunova was assaulted and her phone thrown several times by a GERB sympathizer. The young man, part of a group who hid their faces and appeared as provocateurs, were let inside the premises of the event by security.
The incident was condemned by the Association of European Journalists, the national electronic media regulator, the Council for Electronic Media, NGOs and other media organizations. Reporters Without Borders tweeted in support and called on Bulgarian authorities to ‘investigate and identify the perpetrators’. To date, there has been no institutional response regarding the assault.
This attack comes after a smear campaign provoked by the publication by the Prosecutor General @IvanGeshevPG's press office of a declaration accusing @RFERL reporter Boris Mitov of manipulations and questioning his professionalism. An abuse of power that @RSF_inter condemns.
While reporting on the event, Svobodna Evropa (RFE/RL) journalist Poulina Paunova was assaulted and her phone thrown several times by a GERB sympathizer. The young man, part of a group who hid their faces and appeared as provocateurs, were let inside the premises of the event by security.
The incident was condemned by the Association of European Journalists, the national electronic media regulator, the Council for Electronic Media, NGOs and other media organizations. Reporters Without Borders tweeted in support and called on Bulgarian authorities to ‘investigate and identify the perpetrators’. To date, there has been no institutional response regarding the assault.
This attack comes after a smear campaign provoked by the publication by the Prosecutor General @IvanGeshevPG's press office of a declaration accusing @RFERL reporter Boris Mitov of manipulations and questioning his professionalism. An abuse of power that @RSF_inter condemns.
Източник: mediapool.bg
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