"Once more our society witnessed gross misrepresentations by Ivo Prokopiev's oligarchic media circle of Capital. This time all is disguised as a report by a non-governmental organisation - the International Press Institute", Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Mustafa Karadayi told a news briefing in parliament. The press conference was also attended by the vice-president of the Liberal International Hamid Hamid, who is also deputy chairman of the parliamentary group of the MRF, and by the leader of the European liberals Ilhan Kucuk, member of the European Parliament from MRF/"Renew Europe".
Karadayi indicated that "the report describes the media environment in Bulgaria in a biased and misleading way, solely in the interest of the media and oligarchic circle Capital”. “The report mentions 53 times the name of the MRF member of parliament Delyan Peevski, even though the latter has not been the owner of any media for a long time. The MRF is also repeatedly cited in a negative light, which cannot be further from reality," Karadayi pointed out.
"Meanwhile, the report failed to explore the control Ivo Prokopiev has on the media in this country, as well as the vicious model of media affiliations created by the Capital circle in the last decade. This is a type of pressure that has led to the fact that manipulation and lie are presented as the ultimate truth in the media controlled by Prokopiev, and the reality is censored and misrepresented," the MRF leader said.
Naturally, the omission of the Capital circle in the report is not accidental. The document was conjured by Prokopiev’s wife in Prokopiev's office. Galya Prokopieva is the author, as the report itself shows, Karadayi stated.
We, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, have therefore allowed ourselves to work out an opinion on this report and address it to the vice president of the European Commission Vera Jourova, to the European commissioner for justice Didier Reynders, to Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, chairman of the Committee on Civil Rights, Justice and Home Affairs in the European Parliament and to Sophie in 't Veld, chair of the Committee on the Rule of Law, Democracy and Fundamental Rights and Freedoms," Karadai also said.
Good news for the Movement was made public by Karadayi. "The petition, condemning the behaviour of interior minister Boiko Rashkov during last year’s elections, submitted by our youth organisation’s chairman for Aytos municipality Behcet Emurlov to the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament, has been admitted for consideration," Karadayi said. He recalled that incriminating evidence of police wrongdoing and illegal action during the elections were cited in the report by OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. In addition to this report, they will also deliberate on the reported cases in the Committee on Petitions”, the MRF leader said.
