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                 OSCE Concerned Over Bulgarian Newspapers Fines

   by VOA News

   The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed
   concerned over [1]large fines imposed on newspapers in Bulgaria for
   publishing stories on the banking sector and financial activities of
   businesses.

   Speaking in Vienna Wednesday, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the
   Media Dunja MijatoviÄ said that "large fines imposed on media outlets
   may lead to censorship in reporting on issues of public interest."

   In January, the Bulgarian Financial Supervision Commission (FSC)
   imposed a fine of about $57,000 on Alpico Publishing and its online
   newspaper zovnews.com for reporting on the banking sector.

   Also in January, the FSC fined the Economedia group over $90,000 for
   stories published last summer on financial activities of companies. The
   FSC labelled the news stories in the publications Capital and Dnevnik
   as market manipulations and fined the newspapers an additional $5,000
   for refusing to disclose sources.

   OSCE has called on Bulgaria to create laws protecting media from being
   forced to display sources as a way to guarantee the public's access to
   information.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/osce-concerned-over-bulgarian-newspap
   ers-fines/2628642.html

References

   1. http://www.osce.org/fom/139001
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/osce-concerned-over-bulgarian-newspapers-fines/2628642.html