A candlelit vigil was held in Sofia’s Saint Nedelia square on Monday to express outrage at the brutal murder of Bulgarian journalist Victoria Marinova.
The 30-year-old TV anchor, who in the week before her murder had reported on an investigation into alleged corruption by local politicians and businessmen involving EU funds, was found raped and murdered in a park in Ruse, near the river Danube, on Saturday.
It is still unclear whether the murder is related to Marinova’s journalistic work.
Press freedom has been under attack in Bulgaria over the past decade according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Bulgaria is the lowest ranked EU member country in terms of press freedom, coming in at 111th in the Press Freedom Index. Bulgarian oligarchs are alleged to have colluded with publishers and political parties to create an atmosphere that threatens the existence of independent media and hides the misuse of EU and state funds.