OSCE media freedom representative strongly condemns explosion at Bulgarian newspaper offices, urges thorough and swift investigation | WPN World People News

Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today strongly condemned the bomb explosion outside the offices of the Galeria weekly in Sofia.

The OSCE's Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, opens a session on media freedom at the OSCE's Review Conference in Warsaw, Poland, 7 October 2010.

“I am relieved that the bomb blast did not cause personal injuries. However, the explosion sends a threatening message to the media community in Bulgaria,” the Representative wrote in a letter to Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov on the incident, which took place on 10 February.

“I call upon the authorities to publicly condemn this appalling act of violence against free expression, and carry out a swift and transparent investigation that will lead to the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators,” said the Representative. “By doing so, the Bulgarian Government can send a message that violence against the media is punished by the authorities in a strong and timely manner, and can help ensure that such crimes will not be repeated in the future.”

“Governments must protect media freedom and ensure the safety of their journalists by promptly investigating any attempt to silence critical voices in their country,” the Representative concluded.

Source: OSCE