site.btaCC–DB: TISP's Proposed Amendments to Penal Code Punish Telling Truth with Up to 6 Years in Prison

The bill submitted by There Is Such a People, which criminalizes the dissemination of materials containing information about a person’s private life without their consent, implies that anyone who tells the truth could face up to six years in prison, whether it’s a journalist or an ordinary citizen, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Co-Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov told journalists in Parliament.

He stressed that the law does not mention defamation or slander anywhere.

“This proposal comes from people who built their careers in politics and show business by spreading such information,” he said.

CC-DB MP Stoyu Stoev said: “We would be criminally liable and face a longer prison sentence than for involuntary manslaughter, which carries a sentence of up to five years.” He also pointed out that under the proposed bill, special surveillance measures could be used to surveil any citizen, not just journalists. “This law applies to everyone,” he warned.

“It became clear that the bill is supported not only by the ruling majority but also by Vazrazhdane,” said Stoev. “Today, we heard some politicians backtracking - which is normal because we are still a democratic country, and these laws belong to a different regime,” he added.