OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media meets with Ambassador of Bulgaria

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro, met today, 15 February 2021, with Ambassador Emilia Kraleva to discuss the current state of media freedom in Bulgaria.

Ribeiro and Kraleva discussed issues such as safety of media workers and current challenges to the independence and sustainability of public service media in Bulgaria.

During the conversation, Ribeiro referred to the recent refusal by the Bulgarian prosecutor-general’s office to fully investigate the reported beating of freelance journalist Dimiter Kenarov by the police in September 2020. She urged the authorities to resume the process of investigation to find the perpetrators.

The Representative underlined that the public service media, to be able fulfil their remit, should stay public and not be turned into state media. Public service media should serve as a model of fairness and professionalism for all other outlets.

Kraleva informed the Representative on recent developments regarding media regulation in Bulgaria and expressed the wish of the  authorities to support the work of the RFoM and follow-up on this discussion.