Vienna, 24/09/2008
The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), condemns the recent violent attack on Ognyan Stefanov, editor-in-chief of the on-line news site, Frognews, in Sofia, Bulgaria.
According to information before SEEMO, Ognyan Stefanov was beaten unconscious by several men in masks with hammers and rods as he was on his way out of the restaurant “Kiparisite” on the evening of Monday, 22 September 2008.
Ognyan Stefanov was taken to the Military Medical Academy in Sofia with serious head injuries and broken limbs. According to information from the Bulgarian News Agency, BGNES, the director of the Military Medical Academy, Stojan Tonev, said Ognyan Stefanov underwent a crucial operation on 23 September 2008.
Commenting on the incident, SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said that “heinous attacks on media representatives such as this one against Ognyan Stefanov must become a thing of the past in a democratic society.” Furthermore, he called on the authorities to “initiate an immediate and thorough police investigation to bring to justice those responsible for this crime.”