Freedom of information

Bulgarian journalists are boycotting the absurd demands placed on them by the Ministry of Finance headed by Asen Vassilev.

In an open letter to Minister Vassilev, with which the Association of European Journalists stands in solidarity with reporters and editors, it is stated:

"Dear Mr. Minister,

"Russia accuses me of helping a fellow journalist leave the country. My arrest in absentia is just as effective as being poisoned in absentia, it's absurd. But I don't know to which countries extradition requests have been made, so my world traveling will definitely be limited."

Arrest in absentia for the Bulgarian journalist from the Bellingcat group of investigative reporters Christo Grozev was requested by Russia. He is accused in a case of "illegal crossing of the border of the Russian Federation". The prosecutor's office turned to the Lefertov Court of Moscow, TASS reported.

Balkan countries have experienced a general stagnation or deterioration in terms of media pluralism and media freedoms during 2020, shows a new study, "Media Pluralism Monitor 2021", published by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom at the European University Institute.

The region needs more proactive transparency, open contracting and political will to deal with freedom of information, FOI, speakers from the region and internationally told BIRN's panel discussion Platform B: Freedom of Information in the Balkans, held on Thursday.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Platform B event series will be organised in accordance with all relevant health measures. As the situation improves, we hope to be able to host some of the events in BIRN spaces in Sarajevo and Belgrade, and elsewhere in the region.

The Platform B will be an opportunity for individuals and groups to meet monthly on selected topics.

The BBC has been lively commenting on the Bulgarian trace in the explosion of ammunition depots in the Czech Republic in 2014. The media reported that one of the people who stored in Vrbetica ammunitions that were meant for Ukraine was the Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev, who six months after the explosion became the target of an assassination with an unknown nerve agent in Sofia.

CNN has broadcast a report on the latest spy affair in Bulgaria, which resulted in two Russian diplomats being expelled from the country, BGNES reported.

Until 1989, Bulgaria was one of the most loyal members of the USSR-led Warsaw Pact. According to Western analysts, now as a member of NATO and the European Union, the country is a favorite target for Russian espionage.

The following material originally appeared on Global Voices, 26 August 2019 15:55 GMT 

Some 35 reporters from the Balkans and across the world gathered on Monday in the historic resort city of Dubrovnik in Croatia for the eighth BIRN Summer School Master Class on Investigative Journalism.