Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) has expressed its deep concern about the safety of Bulgarian journalist Lidia Pavlova, who has been covering the "Galevi Brothers" case.

In a January 29 2010 letter addressed to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, SEEMO expressed its concern about, "a Bulgarian journalist who currently works for the daily newspaper Struma based in the Southern town of Blagoevgrad and who has been living under constant threat since she began reporting the 'Galevi' case".

This is a reference to criminal court proceedings against Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov from the southern Bulgarian town of Doupnitsa, who are commonly referred to as the "Galevi brothers".

The case, in which the "brothers" are charged with heading and participating in an organised crime group, has been going on for a year. A hearing was scheduled for January 29 2010.

Pavlova is to appear before the court as a private claimant in the case and a witness at the same time.

"She does not believe that anyone is willing to protect her in Bulgaria. According to her, policemen in the city work at the same time as bodyguards for persons involved in the 'Galevi' case," SEEMO's letter said.

"SEEMO expresses its great dismay at these direct physical attacks and at the harassment of Pavlova and her family and urges timely investigations into these matters," the letter said, listing a series of incidents directed against Pavlova and her family in the past year.

One such case involved her car being smashed in 2009, with police finding a bullet inside. On January 1 2010, Pavlova's 19-year-old son was attacked and severely beaten by a man who entered a local establishment where the man was at a New Year's party.

On January 22 2010, Pavlov's company car's tyres were slashed and its paintwork scratched.

"Pavlova shared with SEEMO her conviction that this attack, like many others, was related only to her investigative work as a journalist," the letter said.

"We would like to emphasise that physical violence and harassment against journalists are not acceptable, and send potentially dangerous signals regarding the treatment of journalists who are doing their work as investigative journalists," the letter said.

"We call on you to reinvigorate investigative efforts into this case, and so send a strong signal that Bulgarian authorities will not tolerate such violence against a journalist," SEEMO said.

Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov have been in the spotlight of media attention for more than five years after being involved in a controversy that eventually cost the Bulgarian Socialist Party's Roumen Petkov his job as interior minister.

Ordered into custody pending criminal charges in December 2008, the "Galevi Brothers" made headlines in Bulgaria and in several foreign media when they stood as candidates in the July 2009 elections, taking advantage of a provision in election law that suspends criminal proceedings against candidates for Parliament.

They were not elected, but taking advantage of a legal loophole, did not return to prison.