President Rumen Radev will veto part of the State Emergency Act, which was adopted after debates in parliament late Friday. This was announced by the Head of State at an extraordinary meeting. According to him, the texts attack the last remnants of freedom of speech.
„There is no definition of false information. However, Bulgarians are facing heavy fines and imprisonment. Experts, journalists and citizens will be forced to impose self-censorship in the context of a dynamic change in our understanding of the pandemic, its perception and the need for alternative positions. This rule can be used to interpret any kind of inappropriate open-mindedness. According to the law, this restriction remains after the state of emergency.“
We remind that on Thursday the Parliament regulated penalties for false information on the spread of contagious disease. According to the texts, if someone reports by radio, telephone or otherwise false calls or misleading signs of help, accident, alarm or false information about the spread of a contagious disease, the punishment is imprisonment of up to 3 years and a fine of BGN 1,000 to 10,000.
According to Radev, the crisis requires the efforts of institutions and society to be combined. Then he added:
„There are currently two crises in the world and in Bulgaria in particular. The first is the health crisis caused by the spread of coronavirus. The second is the economic and social crisis caused by the anti-virus measures. The economic crisis is being ignored for the time being. It is in the background. This situation drives hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians into a difficult battle for survival. They need support, not threats. “
„All countries concerned accept rescue packages for the poorest, for those in technical unemployment, for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. Billions of funds are set aside. We have to take into account that the possibilities of our budget are more modest. But the needs of Bulgarians are more acute and urgent because of their low incomes. The lack of convincing measures to support those affected will give rise to social tensions in the near future. Hunger will prevail over fear and the consequences risk being devastating. „.
Translation: Gloria Yordanova
