| schema:articleBody
| - A well-known Bulgarian investigative journalist was assaulted by masked men late Tuesday outside his home on a central Sofia boulevard, sparking angry reactions from journalist organisations. Slavi Angelov, a veteran investigative reporter and editor-in-chief of the 168 Hours weekly newspaper, was hospitalised with severe head injuries and underwent surgery but his life was not in danger, hospital sources said Wednesday. The police investigation's main lead is that the assault was linked to Angelov's work, public BNR radio reported citing police sources. The journalist, who is known for his reporting on political and environmental corruption issues, told investigators he was attacked by two masked men, who beat him with metal rods, while a third one filmed with his phone. The attack was denounced by several journalist organisations in the country, which ranked 111th in the 2019 World Press Freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. "The known facts lead to the conclusion that the beating was a contract one," the Bulgaria branch of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) stated Wednesday. "The authorities must track down, put before justice and punish not only the physical perpetrators but also the contractors of this monstrous crime," it added, pressing for "a swift and efficient investigation." The organisation called attention to the crime in a message to partners from the Council of Europe platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists. "This is the next attempt to shut the mouth -- in the most brutal way possible -- of a journalist who preaches the truth, looks for the truth in order to defend the freedom of speech in Bulgaria," the chairwoman of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists Snezhana Todorova also commented to public BNR radio Wednesday. OSCE's Media Freedom Representative Harlem Desir issued a statement condemning the attack as well. "This is an unacceptable act of intimidation against the journalist, which could have ended in his death," Desir said, adding that he would follow the investigation closely and urging authorities "to swiftly identify and bring those responsible to justice." "Such brutal and bold attacks, if left unpunished, may create an atmosphere of fear within the media community," he added. In October 2018, television presenter Viktoria Marinova was brutally raped and murdered while jogging on a riverside alley in the northeastern city of Ruse, days after announcing a new investigative rubric in her programme. A 21-year-old man was sentenced for the crime that prosecutors said was "linked to sexual motives and had no links to the profession of the victim". Media watchdog Journalists Without Borders had then accused the authorities of trying to sweep the crime under the carpet. ds/wai
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)