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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Viktoria Marinova: Arrest over Bulgarian journalist murder | Viktoria Marinova: Arrest over Bulgarian journalist murder |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A man has been arrested in Germany in connection with the rape and murder of Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova. | A man has been arrested in Germany in connection with the rape and murder of Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova. |
| Bulgarian officials say a man named Severin Krasimirov has been detained at their request. | Bulgarian officials say a man named Severin Krasimirov has been detained at their request. |
| The country's Interior Minister, Mladen Marinov, said the suspect was a DNA match for evidence recovered at the crime scene. | The country's Interior Minister, Mladen Marinov, said the suspect was a DNA match for evidence recovered at the crime scene. |
| Current evidence does not suggest the attack was linked to Ms Marinova's work as a journalist, officials said. | |
| She had recently hosted a TV programme in which two investigative journalists discussed alleged fraud involving EU funds and prominent businessmen and politicians. | She had recently hosted a TV programme in which two investigative journalists discussed alleged fraud involving EU funds and prominent businessmen and politicians. |
| However, chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said the attack seemed to have been a spontaneous sexual assault, adding that all possibilities were still being considered. | However, chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said the attack seemed to have been a spontaneous sexual assault, adding that all possibilities were still being considered. |
| What do we know of the suspect? | What do we know of the suspect? |
| Severin Krasimirov left Bulgaria for Germany on Sunday, the day after the rape and murder, Bulgarian newspaper 168 Chasa reports. | Severin Krasimirov left Bulgaria for Germany on Sunday, the day after the rape and murder, Bulgarian newspaper 168 Chasa reports. |
| The suspect was charged in Bulgaria in his absence and a European arrest warrant was requested. | The suspect was charged in Bulgaria in his absence and a European arrest warrant was requested. |
| A man detained on Tuesday in Bulgaria was released without charge. | A man detained on Tuesday in Bulgaria was released without charge. |
| Viktoria Marinova's body was found on Saturday in a park in the northern city of Ruse, near the River Danube. She had been raped, beaten and suffocated. | Viktoria Marinova's body was found on Saturday in a park in the northern city of Ruse, near the River Danube. She had been raped, beaten and suffocated. |
| Her mobile phone, keys, glasses, and some of her clothes were missing, prosecutors say. | Her mobile phone, keys, glasses, and some of her clothes were missing, prosecutors say. |
| German police confirmed the arrest of a 20-year-old man in Stade, near Hamburg. He is due in court on Wednesday. | |
| Who was Viktoria Marinova? | Who was Viktoria Marinova? |
| She was a presenter on a current affairs talk programme called Detector on the TVN channel, and her last show had covered alleged corruption involving EU funds. | She was a presenter on a current affairs talk programme called Detector on the TVN channel, and her last show had covered alleged corruption involving EU funds. |
| The two investigative journalists on that programme, Attila Biro and Dimitar Stoyanov, were themselves arrested in September while looking into the case. | |
| Those details led to widespread speculation that Ms Marinova's death might have been linked to her work as a journalist. | Those details led to widespread speculation that Ms Marinova's death might have been linked to her work as a journalist. |
| Suspicions remain | |
| BBC Monitoring | |
| This murder has shocked the country and reignited the debate about freedom of the media in Bulgaria. | |
| Despite investigators downplaying – if not ruling out – the possibility of the crime being related to Ms Marinova's work, fellow journalists point out that there are deep suspicions about a political dimension. That is because of a "terrible" media atmosphere where the harassment of journalists is common. | |
| Journalist Albena Bachvarova writes in ClubZ.bg that despite calls from Europe for a swift investigation, it remains to be seen if Brussels will maintain pressure on Bulgaria – or whether it will go back on focusing on bigger problems, like Hungary and Poland. | |
| She was the third high-profile journalist to be murdered in the EU in the past year: | She was the third high-profile journalist to be murdered in the EU in the past year: |
| On Monday, hundreds of mourners in Bulgaria held vigils for Ms Marinova. | On Monday, hundreds of mourners in Bulgaria held vigils for Ms Marinova. |
| But Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov defended his country's record, insisting that journalists were free to report in Bulgaria. | |
| "In three days, I've read monstrous things about Bulgaria - none of them are true," he said of the global reporting on Ms Marinova's murder. | |
| Bulgaria ranks 111 out of 180 countries on the Press Freedom Index – the lowest of any EU member in the Press Freedom Index. |