The journalists from the Bulgaria Telegraph Agency (BTA) staged Thursday a silent protest demanding the resignation of the agency's director. They pulled out their placards for less than ten minutes as unions have pledged to avoid disturbance of work. The journalists of the state-run news provider said they would persist in throwing rallies every day until the director who allegedly tried to sack a string of experienced employees gives up his post.

The controversial BTA director, Stoyan Cheshmedzhiev, said he would not resign despite of the pressure.

The protest followed an agreement that stopped the dismissals in the BTA. However, the journalists say they still harbor fears about their jobs.

The BTA scandal erupted last week when the employees sounded alarm with a declaration circulated to the country's parliament, president and prime-minister. They accused Cheshmedzhiev of sacking groundlessly established professionals and replacing them with beginners. The director denied the allegations and called them "rumors" in spite of the dismissal notices sent to some of the journalists.

The government spokesman said that Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg was "upset" by the case.