(CPJ/IFEX) – On 2 June 1998, the district court in Pleven confirmed a three-month suspended sentence and 250,000 leva penalty (roughly US $300) against Yovka Atanassova, the owner and editor of the independent local daily “Starozagorski Novini”, who was convicted of criminal libel against a former local prosecutor, Gospodin Gospodinov. **Updates IFEX alerts dated 11 […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – On 2 June 1998, the district court in Pleven confirmed a
three-month suspended sentence and 250,000 leva penalty (roughly US $300)
against Yovka Atanassova, the owner and editor of the independent local
daily “Starozagorski Novini”, who was convicted of criminal libel against a
former local prosecutor, Gospodin Gospodinov.
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 11 May, 17 April and 19 January 1998; and 19
June 1997**
Gospodinov appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn Atanassova’s suspended
sentence, ordered by a Stara Zagora court, and demanded she serve time in
jail on her conviction and pay a 2 million leva fine (about US$2,000). The
decision of the Pleven district court is final, and would be enforced only
if she is sentenced in another criminal libel case. Atanassova already has
five criminal libel convictions against her, and two lawsuits pending.
On 16 April, the regional court in Stara Zagora confirmed a five-month
suspended jail sentence for Atanassova for libelling a local businessman. On
18 June, Atanassova is scheduled to appear before the Stara Zagora court for
another criminal libel lawsuit brought by a former opposition leader from
Stara Zagora.
Nerry Terzieva, the president’s press secretary, in a letter to CPJ wrote
that President Petar Stoyanov has promised CPJ “that he will pardon without
hesitation every convicted journalist, convicted of a criminal offense.” The
press secretary added, however, that president Stoyanov would not attempt to
influence the court because that would violate the separation of powers
guaranteed by the Bulgarian Constitution.
