Bulgarian police on Tuesday arrested a "Romanian citizen of Ukrainian descent" in connection to the murder of Bulgarian broadcast journalist Viktoria Marinova, but later announced he would be released without charge.

"Our work is continuing. For the time being there are no facts and circumstances that we can announce. The Romanian citizen is to be released," said Teodor Atanasov, the head of Ruse regional police.

Marinova's body was found in a park in the northern town of Ruse. Her body showed signs of strangulation and rape.

What we know:

Marinova died from blows to the head and suffocation, according to a regional prosecutor.

The 30-year-old worked as a broadcast journalist for a local station.

She had recently hosted investigative journalists on her show who were reporting on misuse of EU funds by Bulgarian authorities.

Police don't believe the murder was linked to her work.

Marinova had recently hosted investigative journalists on her morning show who had reported on corruption

International outcry

From Berlin to Brussels, European governments have called for a thorough investigation into Marinova's death.

Although Bulgarian authorities do not believe her death was linked to her work as a journalist, her case has nonetheless rekindled a heated debate about press workers in the EU.

Over the past year, two other journalists who had been working on investigations into state corruption were killed. Meanwhile, Bulgaria ranks as one of the worst performers on press freedom in the EU.

Read more: Pluralist media 'needed more than ever'

Bulgaria 'worst performer in the EU'

Daniel Kaddik, media expert and head of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation's office in Bulgaria, told DW that the situation regarding press freedom in the country is so dire that many citizens immediately thought a political motive was likely behind the murder.

He said it is unclear whether or not that is the case, but "no one in Bulgaria had any doubt that it could possibly be a politically motivated act."

"Bulgaria ranks 111th in the world in terms of press freedom. That makes Bulgaria not only the worst performer in the EU but in the whole of the Balkans."

Journalism: A dangerous activity Viktoria Marinova, Bulgaria The 30-year-old TV presenter had recently hosted investigative journalists working on alleged corruption involving European Union funds. She was brutally murdered in the northern Bulgarian town of Ruse in October 2018.

Journalism: A dangerous activity Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia The 60-year-old author, Washington Post columnist and former editor-in-chief of Al Arab News Channel was last seen walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 to get papers to verify his divorce. His fiancee waited outside for 11 hours, and she says he never came out. Khashoggi had previously said he believed the Saudi leadership wanted to kill him.

Journalism: A dangerous activity Samim Faramarz, Ramiz Ahmadi, Afghanistan TV news reporter Samim Faramarz was killed in September 2018 with his cameraman Ramiz Ahmadi when they were reporting from the scene of an explosion in the west of Kabul. The car bomb went off just meters from where they were just finishing a live report. Afghanistan remains the deadliest place in the world to be a journalist.

Journalism: A dangerous activity Mario Gomez, Mexico After Afghanistan and Syria, Mexico is the most dangerous nation for journalists. There were 14 journalists killed in 2017, and at least 10 more lost their lives in 2018. Mario Gomez, a 35-year-old correspondent, was shot dead by armed men as he left his home in Chiapas in September 2018. He had reportedly received death threats after investigating corruption among state officials.

Journalism: A dangerous activity Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, Myanmar Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had reported the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim villagers. They were arrested in December 2017 after being invited to meet police for dinner in Yangon. In September 2018, after 39 court appearances and 265 days in detention, they were jailed for seven years for breaching the 1923 Official Secrets Act.

Journalism: A dangerous activity Marlon de Carvalho Araujo, Brazil A major issue in Brazil's election campaign was corruption. Radio journalist Marlon de Carvalho Araujo focused on reporting graft, and he wrote on corruption involving officials at various levels of the Bahia regional administration. In August 2018, four gunmen burst into his home in the early hours and shot him dead.

Journalism: A dangerous activity Shujaat Bukhari, Kashmir Kashmir journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead outside his newspaper office in Srinagar in June 2018. A contributor to DW, he advocated a peaceful resolution to the conflict between India and Pakistan over the mountainous region.

Journalism: A dangerous activity The Capital, Maryland, USA Editor Wendi Winters, her assistant Robert Hiaasen, writer Gerald Fischman, reporter John McNamara and sales assistant Rebecca Smith died when a gunman shot through the glass door into their office in June 2018. The man, who had filed a defamation lawsuit against the paper, was arrested at the scene and charged with their murders.

Journalism: A dangerous activity Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova, Slovakia An ex-police officer was named as the killer of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his partner Martina Kusnirova in February 2018. The murders sparked mass protests and led to the resignation of the prime minister. Kuciak had been investigating ties between government officials and the Italian mafia.

Journalism: A dangerous activity Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta Daphne Caruana Galizia, an investigative journalist who linked Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to the Panama Papers scandal, was killed when a bomb destroyed her car in October 2017. Author: Jane Mcintosh



Corruption probe

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry announced late Monday that it opened an investigation into allegations of government corruption, including the misuse of EU funds.

The ministry had been spurred by Marinova's death after she hosted two journalists from the investigative online site Bivol.bg.

The ministry's investigation will focus on GP Group, a construction company that allegedly misused EU funds. Bulgarian authorities said they have frozen €14 million ($16 million) of the company's assets.

'Free of fear'

Asked whether his team of journalists in Bulgaria now fear for their safety after Marinova's murder, Bivol.bg founder Assen Yordanov told DW "yes."

"We (received) information a month ago – very serious and sensitive information – that we're in danger, that the suspects, the guys we exposed in our investigations, were discussing some sharp actions against the Bvol team," Yordanov said.

He added that information about the threats was sent abroad because his investigative team does not believe they can trust Bulgarian authorities.

Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland said on Tuesday, "It is time to make Europe's journalists free of fear."

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

ls/kms (AP, Reuters)