site.btaDefamation Only Partially Decriminalized in Bulgaria, Council of Europe Reports

Bulgaria, Cyprus, Lithuania and Serbia had implemented partial decriminalization of defamation, while 13 Council of Europe countries had completely removed defamation from their domestic criminal law in 2023, according to a report on media freedom prepared by organizations involved in the Campaign for the Safety of Journalists, and presented by the Council of Europe on Tuesday.

Decriminalization of defamation laws has gathered pace since the 1990s, prompted by critical judgements from the European Court of Human Rights and by public campaigns under the motto Journalism is not a crime, the report says. In 2023, several member states, including Bulgaria, Slovakia and Italy, granted police protection to journalists over death threats.

The report gives an example of the Mediapool.bg news website as a media under pressure. Mediapool.bg is being sued to pay a compensation of half a million euros by a Bulgarian insurer after the website published an article on a matter of public interest - issues with the Green Card system in Bulgaria. The damages sought could lead to the news outlet's bankruptcy, the report says.

There has also been positive news. Press freedom groups expressed high hopes after the inauguration of a new government in Bulgaria in June 2023, the report further reads.