Court Ruling Sparks Censorship Fears: Bulgarian Journalists Held Liable for Interviewee’s Statements

Bulgarian journalist Dimitar Stoyanov and his colleague Angel Alexiev have been ordered to pay 3,000 leva to GERB deputy Lachezar Ivanov due to claims made by an interviewee in their 2021 publication. This decision, issued by the Sofia District Court and reported by the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), has sparked concerns about potential censorship. The ruling, which is not yet final and can be appealed, is seen by AEJ as establishing a troubling precedent where journalists could be held responsible for the statements of their interview subjects.

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