/ world today news/ After a series of lawsuits against the owner of the Afera website, Varna judges convicted the journalist Veselin Tomova. The unfair verdict is a heavy financial blow to one of the flagships of free speech and aims not only to silence one of the brightest pens in Bulgarian journalism, but also to intimidate the news guild.
In the sea of lies, corruption and crime, Afera is an island of independent speech, not subject to the political mafia and the oligarchy, which have taken over not only state and municipal power, but also the judicial system.
In recent years, Afera has published journalistic exposés documenting the authorities in spectacular corruption and links with organized crime. The street people retaliated with lawsuits, but they failed to break both Vesselina Tomova and the site, and “AFERA” continued, despite the heavy blows in her battle against the mafia. Unfortunately, in Varna, law capitulated to force and Themis condemned the truth.
Today, more than ever, millions of oppressed Bulgarians need examples of civil valor, of incorruptible journalists, of free media.
And if we admire the Romanian people who do not forgive their corrupt politicians and thousands of Romanians spontaneously occupy the squares, it is also due to their free media. In Bulgaria, there are fewer and fewer free media and independent journalists because the government crushes them and the oligarchy buys them.
We call on everyone for whom free speech is a sacred value to support Afera by transferring money to this bank account: Raiffeisenbank BIC: RZBBBGSF IBAN: BG93RZBB91551007338645 LUCKY AFERA EOOD.
The required amount is BGN 10,000. If we don’t come to the rescue, private bailiffs are already encroaching on Veselina Tomova’s home.
January 23, 2017
Ignat Radenkov, Prof. Boyan Durankev,
Velizar Enchev, Alexander Karakachanov,
Prof. Petko Ganchev
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