site.btaJournalists: Bulgaria Could No Longer Be Called Democratic State If Parliament Passes TISP-proposed Penal Code Amendments

The Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ) has issued a statement regarding the amendment to the Penal Code proposed by the There Is Such a People (TISP) parliamentary group, which would criminalize the dissemination of information about a person's private life without their consent. The association warned that the proposal could lead to unprecedented censorship.

"If the proposed amendments are adopted, such revelations could result in prison sentences for journalists. With such legislation, Bulgaria could no longer be called a democratic and rule-of-law state. There is no democracy that sends journalists to prison for fulfilling their core duties: exposing politicians and other public figures. But in dictatorships, that’s exactly what happens - punishment for insult and defamation and the protection of privacy are used as a pretext to silence critical voices and make those in power untouchable," the AEJ statement reads.

The proposed amendments contradict the recommendations of international organizations, which have recently called for the full decriminalization of insult and defamation, the AEJ further noted. According to the association, if adopted, the amendments would lead to an increase in so-called SLAPP lawsuits - legal actions used to intimidate journalists and critics of those in power.

The AEJ calls on all parliamentary parties to oppose the amendments, "which undermine Bulgaria’s democratic character and threaten the right to free speech."

On Thursday, the parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs supported the amendments on first reading. "Anyone who, through print or other mass media, electronic information systems or other means, disseminates material or other media containing information about the private life of another person without their consent shall be punished with imprisonment of one to six years and a fine of BGN 2,000-5,000," is stated in the TISP proposal. Information about personal life within the meaning of the law is understood to mean data about the personal relationships, family relationships, intimate relationships, or health status of a person, according to the bill.