Bulgaria: CFWIJ Condemns The Violence Against Polina Paunova and Genka Shikerova At The Ruling Party Conference

Location: Bulgaria, Sofia
Date: September 21, 2021

Polina Paunova and Genka Shikerova, journalists for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty were physically attacked and verbally abused while covering a conference arranged by the ruling party, GERB. Masked men approached Polina when she tried to film them clashing with protestors present on location and physically assaulted her. The incident was caught on tape by her colleague Genka Shikerova, who claims that no one came to assist the two journalists.

The incident took place at Sofia Tech Park on Tsarigradsko Shosse Blvd. in the capital, where the ruling party's National Conference was organized. The conference concerned the questions regarding the tenure of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, and both protestors and supporters had reached the premises to attend. A physical altercation took place between the two groups, however, when journalists present at the location attempted to cover the incident, supporters of the ruling party, GERB targeted them with physical violence and verbal abuse as well. 

Before the event even began, several men in protective masks and civilian clothes attacked the protestors present on location, when Polina Puanova attempted to cover the incident, as part of her assignment, however, she was targeted by GERB supporters. One of the masked men physically assaulted her, snatched her phone, and threw it away. The incident was recorded on film by her colleague Genka Shikerova, who also works for Bulgarian independent broadcaster Alternativata TV. The video has since been made public over several social media and news platforms. Later, another man called Polina “garbage” and claimed that she was not welcome at the conference.

The ruling party’s official stance however is that they were not responsible for the violence that took place at their event. "Members and supporters of GERB all the time demonstrated their peaceful intentions and did not provoke aggression. Unfortunately, paid provocateurs broke through the security of the forum and got into arguments with both GERB members and protesting citizens. GERB members, journalists, and protesters were attacked. We urge the investigating authorities to reveal all the facts and circumstances surrounding today's clashes and to bring the perpetrators to justice,” they said. Both Polina and Genka have registered a complaint with the police regarding what they had to face.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Polina Paunova and Genka Shikerova and demands that the police urgently look into the matter. The ruling party is responsible to ensure the safety of those attending their official event, Any lapse in security should be immediately dealt with. GERB’s politics over the past several years has remained antithetical to principles of democracy and not offering support to the press community in the country will only lead to further deterioration of civil rights in the country.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

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