UPDATE 1 - Acquittal of all defendants in sale of 33% of EVN Bulgaria takes effect - Alfa Finance Photo: Nadezhda Chipeva, Capital
SOFIA (Bulgaria), May 11 (SeeNews) – A decision by a Bulgarian court to acquit one of Alfa Finance Holding’s major shareholders, three employees of its unit Bulbrokers and two ex- government ministers in a case for the sale of a stake in power utility EVN Bulgaria Elektrorazpredelenie has entered into force, Alfa Finance Holding said on Tuesday.
The prosecutor s office decided not to appeal the Appellate Specialised Criminal Court s decision within the 15-day deadline which expired on May 5, Alfa Finance Holding said in a statement.
said he intended to appeal the conviction.
The authorities should immediately release Otabek Sattoriy, not contest his appeal, and allow all journalists to work freely and without fear of reprisal, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Sattoriy s conviction is a clear attempt to frighten the press away from covering sensitive issues ahead of a presidential election in October, Gulnoza Said, CPJ s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
said the fabricated accusations against the blogger testify to a desire to quell local corruption scandals and intimidate critical voices.
The Paris-based group noted that since his arrest in late January, Sattoriy had been ordered to pay a fine of 9.8 million soms ($931) for slander and insult in a separate case.
Thailand urged not to repatriate reporters who fled Myanmar
CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL , Associated Press
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1of5In this photo released by the San Sai District Administrative Office, a Thai officer checks the temperature of journalists working for Democratic Voice of Burma, at San Sai District in Chiang Mai province north of Thailand Sunday, May 9, 2021. Three senior journalists working for the online and broadcast news agency in Myanmar who fled after the military government ordered its operations to stop have been arrested by police in northern Thailand, their editor said Monday. (San Sai District Administrative Office via AP)APShow MoreShow Less
2of5In this photo released by the San Sai District Administrative Office, journalists working for Democratic Voice of Burma, prepare to get into a van after being arrested at San Sai District in Chiang Mai province north of Thailand Sunday, May 9, 2021. Three senior journalists working for the onlin
Thailand urged not to repatriate reporters who fled Myanmar
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BANGKOK (AP) – Rights organizations and reporters’ groups urged Thai authorities on Tuesday not to repatriate three journalists who fled to Thailand from military-run Myanmar, saying they would face arrest and possible physical harm.
The journalists work for the Democratic Voice of Burma, or DVB, an online and broadcast news agency, its executive director and chief editor, Aye Chan Naing, said Monday. Burma is the former name for Myanmar and is still used by some opponents of military rule.
He said the three, along with two activists, were arrested Sunday in the northern province of Chiang Mai during a random search by police. They were charged with illegal entry into Thailand.
May 7, 2021 Share
Public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is bound by its charter to be editorially independent and immune from political influence.
But a new series, in which Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam interviews political leaders about reforms, is being criticized as testing the limits of that independence.
Chief Executive Lam presented the first of the programs, “Get to Know the Election Committee Subsectors,” on April 28. In the series, she discusses political reforms for Hong Kong that have been widely viewed as controversial.
Journalists and experts have said it “falls into the realms” of a propaganda campaign.
RTHK insiders told VOA that the Hong Kong government’s Information Services Department commissioned the production, with episodes to be shown on RTHK channels. Episodes uploaded to YouTube include a line in Chinese at the end saying it was produced by the regional government, media reported.